Over the years I have had my share of good neighbors who assisted me with yard work, loaned stuff to me, helped me get into my garage when the spring on the opener was broken, righted my Christmas tree when it fell over, and lots of other little gestures that relieved me immensely at the time I needed some help. In short, these neighbors were genuinely friendly and willing to lend a hand any time the need arose. Be they bidden by me or proactive on their own initiative, I have been blessed many, many times.
So, I was particularly interested when I read the experience of a man who wrote about how his neighbor was always there for him. He recounted some of those experiences, including one where the neighbor helped him with a huge project in his back yard because the man's son wanted to have his wedding reception there.
On the occasion of the story I read, there had been a big snowstorm where the two men lived. The author thought he would shovel his neighbor's walks and driveway as a kind of reciprocal gesture. However, when he went out of his house, his neighbor had already shoveled his own walks, AND he had shoveled the author's, too!
John P. Rich, the author of that story I read in the April 2023 Liahona Magazine, went back into his house and wrote this little poem. It's not great poetry, but it conveys a stirring message about the personality of his neighbor, President Russell M. Nelson.
SERMONS
I’ve seen sermons in stone
And sermons in flowers
Sermons that take minutes
Sermons that take hours
But I’ve just seen a sermon
Delivered in labor
That showed me perfectly
How to be a good neighbor
John P. Rich
