We Are Neighbors

Missouri Good Neighbor Week is set for Sept. 28 to Oct. 4. All Missourians are being encouraged to participate by doing and reporting an act of neighboring and nominating someone as a great example of neighboring. This is the first year for this statewide effort following the Missouri Governor's signature on legislation establishing the special week. It begins on Sept. 28, which is National Good Neighbor Day. The statewide goal is to document 10,000 acts of neighboring and to honor a top example of an engaged neighbor in each county of Missouri. Many counties across the state have local coordinators bringing awareness to the week and helping to judge the top reported acts of neighbor and top neighbor nominations in their respective counties. In many counties, that coordinator is the county extension council. From Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, every person who reports an act of neighboring will be entered into a random drawing for prizes and receive a memento by mail. The best example

  I recently had the opportunity to visit with Melody Warnkick, author of the book, "This Is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live." Her book's premise was to help her family fall in love of their new hometown (after six different moves). Instead of holding her breath and hoping this new town would be her family's perfect fit, she decided to figure out how to fall in love with it. Place attachment is the deep sense of connection that binds some of us to our cities and increases our physical and emotional well-being. According to the best research on the topic (done by Gallup with 46,000 adults in 26 cities), the top place-attaching qualities are "fuzzy" ones: "social offerings, aesthetics, and openness. When residents felt like their city offered a lot to do, looked nice, and welcomed all kinds of people, they felt most attached to it. According to Gallup, the more emotionally attached residents were to their citie

When a neighbor receives a kind note from us in the mail, especially if it is handwritten, they feel like we have a deeper desire to serve them or to connect. One might say that a handwritten note can be a game-changer, especially now when many consider a handwritten note a dying art form. Isolated and lonely people desire a personal touch, especially now during this COVID pandemic period in history. A handwritten note is the opposite of what happens on social media. There is no public exposure or influence or group laughter. But there is also none of the negative that comes with social media. Handwritten notes are tremendously powerful because they are so personal. Note writing has other benefits too. A handwritten note can provide a personal touch for isolated people. Handwritten notes are a great way to be an encourager by telling someone they are valued or doing a great job. Even introverts, who might be uncomfortable knocking on a door and handing a plate of cookies to a neighbor

  Meet my new friend Amy Lively. Amy lives in Buena Vista, Colorado, and is the author of "How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird." Amy's book is worth reading and so are her monthly emails. She recently wrote a blog post that asked if I could share on this blog because, well, it was really good! Her topic, the five mistakes I made in my neighborhood, really resonated with me. Honestly, I could add more to the list. Things like do not call a neighbor by the wrong name for months, do not forget to invite a neighbor to an event even if they have never attended anything before, and never ever talk about a neighbor by text. By Amy's list is much better. So here you go, the Top 5 mistakes Amy has made in loving her neighbor: #5 Don’t Pray Don’t pray for your neighbors by name, and definitely don’t ask God to give you opportunities to interact with them on a daily basis. What if He said YES?!  #4 Get Discouraged Let petty arguments with your neighbors or strife withi

  When it comes to forming good neighbor relationships, the Nextdoor App promises a magical solution. But the truth is, it should be just one of several tools in your neighboring toolbox. Nothing beats face-to-face communication or front-yard interaction. If you can use the NextDoor app to create face-to-face interaction that helps grow a relationship, that is a good thing. Using it in place of relationship development is a bad thing. Social media works best when it extends other ways of connecting rather than replacing them. For starters, we can get enchanted with social media and technology, and that enchantment can easily lure us away from those "old-fashioned" ways of connecting that require two bodies in the same place. We would be better served with less online and more in-person living. Technology has also caused us to change our meaning of what is a "good neighbor." Most Americans now say it is someone who "is quiet and leaves me alone." Th

The word hospitality brings expectations and anxiety to the hearts of most people. Does inviting people into your home feel more like inviting judgment on your entertaining skills and stress on your already maxed-out schedule? Do you want to welcome others in but get stuck because making food, cleaning the house, decorating, and facilitating conversation feels impossible—or at least too overwhelming, so why bother? I get it. I’ve been there, too.  But what if you had simple ways to overcome those obstacles and lean into the gift of opening your door?  According to Jen Schmidt, author of “Just Open the Door,” it comes down to knowing the difference between entertaining and hospitality. “The entertaining host seeks to elevate herself, to make it about her,” said Schmidt. In this example, when the guest arrives, the entertainer announces, “Here I am. Come into my beautiful abode and have the honor of partaking in all the wonderful things I’ve spent hours doing for you. Look at this lavish

Americans who regularly read the Bible are the most likely group to demonstrate “neighborliness” in addition to placing higher premiums on civic participation and mental health than their less religious counterparts, according to a recent report.  The American Bible Society released Chapter 4 of its 12th annual “State of the Bible” report Thursday. The chapter, titled “A Nation of Neighbors,” examined Americans’ embrace of “prosocial priorities,” “civic involvement and life care,” “intellectual humility” and other qualities associated with “neighborliness.”  The State of the Bible survey asked respondents how strongly they agreed or disagreed with statements expressing support for “prosocial priorities.” Specifically, the survey inquired whether they agreed that it was essential to “welcome immigrants into my community, befriend people of other races, befriend people of other religions, care for those who are in prison, care for the environment, advocate for those who are oppressed by