Just a Good Neighbor

When we had neighbors, at the other house, there was a time when the house next door was up for sale!
I spent days and weeks praying for a good neighbor.  I asked for someone around my age with children, but I tried not to push, asking mostly for just a good neighbor!
Not that I didn't have good neighbors already, because we had great neighbors.  But they had lived in their houses for 20+ years!  They were in a different stage of life than I was.  I needed someone in the same stage of life as myself!
At the time, I just waited and prayed.  I had no idea what God had in store for me!
The kiddos and I, only the big one and Ya's at the time, pulled up after working out at the church and there were people moving in next door!
They looked young, like me!  I saw a couple of kiddos!! I couldn't wait to go up and introduce myself!  Answered prayer, I thought to myself!
I'm not sure if I took anything inside my house or if I ran right up their new drive and introduced myself and my kiddos!
I think I scared my new neighbors a bit.  I think they thought they were living next door to a crazy lady.  But they were polite and chatted with me a bit and then  I let them get back to work!
Before long, my neighbor and I were sitting outside, watching our kiddos play and having long conversations about EVERYTHING, helping each other move furniture or paint before the hubby's got home or even chatting on the telephone to each other for hours on end!!! She was pretty candid, very real!  She wasn't afraid to tell me about the good, the bad or the ugly!  I soooo  wasn't there yet!  But I shared good (ONLY)!  I think she knew there was bad and ugly, but she waited on me!
Our neighborly duties turned, almost immediately, into friendship!
Our kiddos became friends and our relationship continued to develop!
As she was able to laugh at life and talk about what wasn't pretty, I started to understand that it didn't change my view of her!  It didn't change who she was, what it did do is make her more REAL to me and I loved her even more because of that!  She was very real and the best part was she wasn't afraid of being real!  She was and is so good for me!  It's because of her, that I laugh more now, I'm ok with being really real, really into life!  Not living some painted picture because I was too afraid for anyone to see any different!  It is/was because of her that I started REALLY living all of life!
On started a new look at life for me! She taught me to be real, right from the moment we met!  She taught me not to take myself so seriously, that I could laugh at life a little and not pretend everything was ok, but to be REAL!
I'm so thankful for my friend that was only supposed to be a "good neighbor"! 

You know it's the start of a beautiful relationship when:  

furniture is being moved, walls are being painted and trees are coming down.....

all before the hubby's get home from work!