They Are Still Not Home

Have you ever had a neighbor that you talked to every single day?

You talked to her on the phone even though you knew you would be seeing her later that day?

Or worse, you talked to her on the phone while walking to her house?!

You trusted this neighbor like a family member when it came to the safety of your kids?

Or when they get home from vacation, your son says, “It’s good to have them home”.  As if they actually live in our house!

Do you still live near this neighbor?

Well, I had a neighbor just like that for almost 3 years and they moved 14 hours away 3 weeks ago.


When we moved in to the house next to them, they had only moved in just 2 months prior.  They are a Marine family and would be in town for 3 years before moving on to the next assignment.  I knew that shortly after meeting them, but didn’t think much of it at the time.

I have never been a ‘neighborly’ kind of gal.  I’ve always said I wanted my neighbors to be far away from me.  Or at least have a really long driveway so that my neighbors can’t see every time I leave my house or sit on my porch or check my mail or you name it.

Dee changed all that for me.  She is the sweetest person you will ever meet.  She loves.  She gives.  She serves.  Never expecting anything in return.  She is annoyingly awesome in the kitchen and her house is always spotless, but I love her anyway.

Before moving here, we had moved around quite a bit.  We had to move away from lots of neighbors.  Never before did I get sad about that, let alone shed a tear.  When Dee and her family moved, I bawled like a baby cried!  I totally didn’t expect to react that way, but I couldn’t stop the tears from coming!

My youngest, who is 3, has not made it any easier.  Every day (seriously,   every day!), she says, “Is my best I home?”  Isaac is the name of my neighbors youngest.  She was pregnant with him when we moved in and we got to see him grow up to be a cute little toddler!  Well, my daughter LOVES Isaac!  She calls him her ‘best I’.  It’s her cute way of saying they are best friends.  Of course, when they were moving she didn’t really understand.  So, after the move, she was super confused as to why she wasn’t seeing I every day.  That has been rough to explain every day, but I’m sure she will get it.

This is Olivia and her best I being silly!

For that first week or two after they moved, every time I would come home from somewhere, I would look at their house.  As if one of the times I came home, they would be home too.  But alas, they are still not home.  The house is still vacant, which I am happy about.  It would be so weird for someone else to live there.  I’m sure that day will come, but I don’t have to be happy about it!

Maybe one day I will have another neighbor that is sweet and nice and great with my kids.  I am positive I won’t ever have another neighbor like Dee.  She is irreplaceable.  I love you Dee!

P.S.  I love Dee’s husband and kids too, it’s just that Dee is the one I spoke to, confided in and bonded with the most.

~Nicole~