Coffee With Maddie




“It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine?” Can you hear Mr. Rogers singing that as he’s putting on his sweater and tennis shoes? This was the tune that popped into my head at 6:00 a.m. as I stepped out of my camper into yet another beautiful day! With my two younger boys still sound to sleep, I got the coffee and a campfire started for our group. My camping neighbors were also still sleeping so I had my morning coffee and my therapist (the fire) all to myself.

Believe it or not, almost every day is a beautiful day in the neighborhood for me. Even if the sun isn’t shining and the rain is pouring down, I can think of so much that adds joy to my day. More often than not, it’s not things or stuff that add joy, but people . . . my “neighbors.” Since I’m a not close friend with anyone in my actual neighborhood, I consider my neighbors to be family and friends.

As I stared blankly at the fire, I thought about my camping friends. I go with a group of four to eight families. When all eight families go we have quite a crew. Since my husband doesn’t enjoy camping nearly as much as I do, he usually stays home with our oldest son and all of our pets. Therefore, my friends make a special effort to help my younger boys and me with anything we need and they watch out for us on our trips. That’s just one of many things I’m thankful for when thinking about these friends. I also appreciate how accepting they are. Almost every trip we have someone new join us for the weekend. Everyone goes out of their way to make sure that these newcomers feel welcome. This trip I invited a good friend of mine to join us. She had had a very tough week and needed to get away for the weekend. We made room for her in our camper and our group literally welcomed her with open arms. They understood she’d had some heartache recently and accepted her just how and where she was.

Another wonderful benefit of this group is the compassion and concern we share for each other. The newest member of our regular camping group arrived in late February weighing in at 4 lbs. and 1 oz. With the doctors predicting doom and gloom throughout the entire pregnancy, we were all concerned for the baby and his mom. We were all pleasantly surprised, and relieved, when he arrived. He was little, but in good health. He was truly the main attraction when he came camping with us over Memorial Day weekend. We were all thrilled that he was three months old and had more than doubled his weight! We had shared in their concerns, but now we share in their joy.

I think what really makes our weekends so special though is the food, fellowship and fun we have together. I can safely say I am never hungry when I go camping! And, if my stomach doesn’t hurt from eating a few too many treats, it hurts from laughing. Whoever coined the phrase, “Laughter is the best medicine,” sure knew what they were talking about!

The bottom line is this . . . friends make all the difference in the world. And it’s a good thing to have a neighborhood full of friends in good times and in those trying times in life. My hope is that your neighborhood is as blessed as mine is.

Until next week . . . God bless you and yours! -Maddie

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Coffee With Maddie: Archive;
Blessings
Magazine Junkie!
Maddie Goes to College
Changes
Let the season begin!
Getting Older!
I'm Getting Fat!
I Love a good book!
Family Games
Manners!
Someone to Love
A Special Anniversary
New Year Goals
My Spinal Tap!
The Book Store
I Salute Our Men in Uniform
Valentine's Day
My Birthday Choices
Current Events and Politics
Cabin Fever
We Can Choose the Words We Use
Let's Get Organized!
Support Our Troops
Acts of Kindness
Find Something to Do!
Yippee, Spring!
Yo Dude
Mother's Day
Flylady
My Favorite Things!
Going Camping
Safety Tips for Women
Summer

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About the Author;
Maddie is a dear friend from the Midwest who will touch your heart with her gentle stories of home of family. You can just picture yourself at the kitchen table any early morning with Maddie, a fresh cup of coffee, maybe the smell of bacon in the air, and a log on the fire to take out the chill.

Talk to Maddie at ...
Maddie@boomerjournals.com