First Issue "Mail Box Meetings"

     I have lived in my neighborhood for 8 years now, and one of my favorite houses is the one directly across the street. Its a yellow house, always manicured neatly, and simple. I always feel like the sun is just always shining on that house. I don't know if its the sunbeam color, or if I just imagine that the house is just happy. Can houses have personalities? I don't know, but if they did, this one would be saying "welcome, come on in, put your feet up and have some ice cold tea!" I think I also love it, because a very special lady lives there. I don't get to see her much, or spend lots of time with her, because we are both in different seasons of our lives.
      H. is starting her empty nesting phase after raising five boys, homeschooling all of them! I am in the middle, with a very busy teenager, a preteen and a three year old. So what happens is, every few days to a week, we end up meeting at our mailboxes. Its not on purpose, we don't plan them, they just happen. We deemed these are "mail box meetings". You see neither of us have a whole lot of time before we know we will be  interrupted by one of my kids, or she will need to get back to something she left on the stove, or her beloved  husband  (she is the caregiver), so we only have about fifteen to twenty minutes  of precious time to visit. We, of course, start out with the formalities  how is this, how was that, how is_____? Then we get to the real conversation, the meat of the visit. I have learned a lot about life, myself and H. in those small nuggets of moments.
   1.  Time is short, and if you don't get to the "good" stuff right away,you may miss it altogether.
   2.We can choose who we spend time with, and sometimes 15 minutes with the right person, can lift your spirit more than hours with the wrong the one.    
   3.That conversations are supposed to go two ways, and there is always time to listen and to speak.
   4. Wise advise can be summoned up with few words,and lots of understanding.
   5.Even when you have your own issues, you can  always make time for someone else's.
   6. Time is precious, so you need to make good use of it.
   7.Its not about the quantity of time you invest in a friendship, but the quality of time.
   8.In the midst of struggles,disappointments,and heartache there is still hope, but more importantly faith.
   9.That are kids will grow up, and we will have to let them go.
  10.That life is hard, but God is so very, very good.
    Our mailbox meetings, have become something I look forward too. Its the off chance of surprise that we may meet up, its an announced gift, its the fellowship we offer one another, its the friendship that we share. I will be posting future issues of "mailbox meetings", and hope you will get as much out of the rich conversations as I do!
So, next time you go to your mailbox and spot your neighbor; wave, say hi, because you may end up having some mailbox meetings all your own!