Encouraging Words

I was working in the yard this morning while the boys were playing in the pool when a gentleman walked by on his way to church, and in the midst of commenting on how nice the yard looked he said, "Thanks for being a blessing in the hood."

I know I can sometimes needlessly seek affirmation, but for the most part I garden and work in the yard because I enjoy it. Still, it was very nice to hear him say that.

And he was a man walking the walk...on his way to church (I could tell by his dress and the Bible in hand) he stopped to encourage a neighbor. And I appreciated it. Sometimes all the hood needs is more neighborly interaction like that. Most of the time all humanity needs is an encouraging words once in a while.

And while I may be "blessing the hood" by keeping a nice yard, our neighbor also showed me today the importance of blessing others with a kind word once in a while. Saying "hello" to someone goes a long way. Saying a sentence of affirmation can make a world of difference in someone's day.

I'm hoping that by writing this down, I'll remember to do the same.