Neighboring

The book, “The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door,” puts forth a basic premise. And that is this: When Jesus was asked to sum up everything into one command, he said to love God with everything we have and to love our neighbors as ourselves. What if Jesus meant that we should love our actual neighbors?

Blogging is a great way for people to share their activities, experiences, and successes. The purpose of the Neighboring Blog Posts section of the Turn ON the Light-Bowie website is to do just that, with respect to your experiences in building relationships with your neighbors.

We invite you to post blogs about your neighboring experiences. It’s as easy as 1-2-3. Please tell about your experiences with:

1. Learning the names of 10 neighbors that live close to you (to love our neighbors, it helps to actually know their names).

2. Reaching out to connect with your neighbors (baking/cooking, playing sports, watching sports or other shows on TV, having them over to dinner, helping to throw a neighborhood block party, etc.).

3. Telling your stories about what God has done in your neighborhood, in the Bowie area, and for each of you as individuals after you have learned some of your neighbors’ names and reached out to them.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).

Ricco and his wife lived on Sadler Lane in Bowie, MD for about 10 years. A few years ago, he noticed an issue happening across the street from him. A single woman (we will call her Susan) in her 50’s was living with her elderly father. Her father (we will call him James) recently moved in with her.

James was living in Upper Marlboro and his son was living with him. Sadly, his son was addicted to drugs and his friends started to come over and essentially took over the house. James felt unsafe in his own house so he left and came to live with his daughter across the street from Ricco.

Ricco said … I noticed the addicted son would come over to the house soon after his father cashed his social security check and forcibly take money from his dad to finance his addiction. Often they would have arguments and struggles in the front yard.

So, Ricco installed a security camera outside of his home that could not only record what might happen in his own yard, but also record what might be happening in James and Susan’s yard across the street. He told the James the next time your son comes over to steal from you, go outside in the front yard. So he did. His son beat up his dad in the front yard and took his money. But this time, it was on video.

Ricco called the police and had him arrested. He claimed his innocence, but once the police saw the video, they charged him with assault and robbery. Then he helped the James and Susan get a restraining order so that if their son and brother ever showed up at the house again, they would call the police and have him arrested again.

James and his daughter felt safe again. But Ricco was bothered by the fact that James owned the house in Upper Marlboro and his son was still taking advantage of him by living in it with his addicted friends. So, he asked James if he wanted to keep the house or sell it. He said sell it. So, while the son was in jail, Ricco changed all the locks in the house. When he got out of jail, he and his friends broke back into the house, Ricco kicked them out, double dead bolted the locks, and secured all the windows with screws so no one could break back into the home. Then Ricco found a buyer for the home and helped James sell it.

When asked about this amazing help, Ricco said … “Well you just gotta do what you gotta do. It was clear he needed help, and God calls us to love our neighbors like the Good Samaritan helped the beat up man along the road”.

You might think the story ends there but it doesn’t. About 6 month later the elderly father got sick and sadly passed away. And sadly his daughter was not in a position to take care of herself. She was mentally incompetent and couldn’t manage on her own. So, Ricco asked the county health services to come in and evaluate her condition. They agreed.

Ricco said, “I talked it over with my wife and we prayed about it and we decided to apply for legal guardianship.” It was granted. Ricco and his wife had plans to move to Florida, so they found Natalie a small home and relocated her near them in Florida. She is not far away so we are able to check in on her Ricco said, and make sure she is getting along OK. Then Ricco helped her sell her house across the street from him in Bowie and those funds along with her father’s inheritance were put into a trust just for her support.

Is this an over-the-top example of being neighborly or what? Ricco said his goodbyes to all his neighbors on Sadler Lane when he, his wife, and Susan moved to Florida and said … please continue to love your neighbors. He is being missed on Sadler Lane, but welcomed by the neighbors in Florida.

Written by a neighbor on Sadler Lane