Block Party

I’ve lived in this house for twenty-seven years and was frustrated about not knowing people right up the street — so I invited everyone to a pot luck and asked my accordion-playing neighbor to provide entertainment.  I didn’t ask for RSVP’s and wasn’t sure how attendance would be but about twenty-five people showed up. A four year old arriving with his parents, rushed in the front door proclaiming, “All righhtt!  I love this!” One quiet man sat the entire time talking with the same person while some people made the rounds and interacted with everyone. One woman came in a nice dress, another showed up dressed in camouflage shorts and cap. They were retired people, an engineer, a computer programmer, a middle school principal, and a farmer and they were of a variety of ages, opinions, education and ideals — and everyone seemed to have a great time getting to know one another. My friend Tom was correct when he said that underneath everything, “We are all the same.”  I believe it. This is what community is about.