I'm fondly remembering our previous yard this morning. All those forget-me-nots like pixie dust!


And I also recalled how, years ago, it unnerved me the way children would sometimes walk down our driveway then step across our neighbor's lawn to get to the street behind us. A real-live shortcut--that's how they viewed our yards. And what tiny yards we had!

Sometimes our neighbor two-doors-down would walk with her tiny grandson over to our backyard and once he sat on my old wooden chair and broke the seat board. She never said anything about it, she didn't know I saw it happen, (ol' territorial me muttering at the window). Of course, how sturdy was that board anyway if a two-year-old snapped it?

But there came a day (don't you love it when there comes a day?) when God reminded me that, "Freely you have received, so freely give."

"Freely share your yard."

"Freely give others some room to do what you, yourself, might not do. Or say."

"And always remember that, "Love hardly ever notices when others do it wrong."


Do you know why my life keeps getting more peaceful, more calm and just downright better? It's because of lessons like those.

In our back woods, there's a trail where kids sometimes ride three-wheelers. Our neighbor asked if she can walk her dog across our meadow in the winter. Our other neighbors skated on our pond and, last week, went frogging there (probably to cook the poor old things). The occasional dog tours our yard.

And you know? I'm so thankful for the sharing lessons learned in the postage-stamp-sized yard of our last house because it doesn't bother me having all this action taking place in our present yard.

For as the song says, "Freely, freely, you have received. Freely, freely, give. Go in My name and because you believe, others will know that I live."



*************

I realize some of you are thinking, "But what about the possibility that you might be sued if someone gets hurt in your yard?"

To which I would say, it is so sad at how fearful we have become in Today's world. I refuse to live in fear of what might happen. Wisdom yes, fear, no.

Freely give, freely share, freely give again.


*****


I Corinthians 13:3-7 (Living Bible) Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way, it is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly ever notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone you will be loyal to them no matter what the cost, You will always believe in them, always, expert the best of them. And always stand your ground in defending them.


*****