"How did you get him to come?" - Lynn Butterfield

The Monday before Christmas has become a time for me to get together with some of my neighbors to spend the evening singing and eating together in home of my friends Shelly and Brad.  It's become one of my favorite nights of the year.  This year was no exception.

This time there was an exceptional person who came to our evening just one week ago.  I was grateful to see him, but was also surprised by his unusual attendance.  While we invite all in our neighborhood to come, we usually have 9 or 10 families participate.  So, to have one special guest come was a surprise to me.

I was so surprised that I pulled Shelly aside and said, "How did you get . . . to come?"

I'm not using the name of our guest here.  You probably don't know him personally.  He is, however most likely just like someone else you know living in your own neighborhood.  He's single and generally stays to himself.  Most of us have very little interaction with him for those reasons. 

It isn't that we don't like him or that he's a bad person, he's just single so most of the time he doesn't feel as if he fits into our family centered activities.  So, he stays apart from us almost all the time.

Because he's apart in many ways, my neighbors and I don't really know what's going on in his life.  Yes, we smile and wave to him in passing.  We would even describe him as being an integral part of our neighborhood.  But it just isn't true.  He lives with us, alone.

"How did you get him to come?" I asked.

Shelly responded with a simple, "I invited him."

"That's so great!"  I responded.  "I'm glad he's here!"

"Me too." She said.

But that isn't the whole story.  After all, we had written and delivered invitations just like we do every year.  So what was the difference this time?

The difference is that Brad and Shelly took the time, during one of the most hectic seasons, to personally go and visit our friend.  It was that personal, face-to-face, I'm here to show care for you visit that made the difference.  What could be more appropriate during the season of "good will?"

I sat in a cozy chair with my heart filled with good will in the home of Shelly and Brad, singing songs of comfort and joy.  I looked up to see our friend reading the words to the songs as we went along.  He was singing almost in silence, but he was there with us and that made all our hearts sing with a little more emotion and gratitude to have someone important to us gathered in.

There are people who live alone who are surrounded by us, not gathered in.  Can you imagine being surrounded and alone at the same time?  Brad and Shelly have shown us that when we imagine ourselves as more inclusive the result is heart warming and life changing. 

Change lives where you live by including the single people in your neighborhood.  They may be young or old.  They may simply be hoping for an invitation that hasn't yet been offered.  Make them an offer and warm hearts no matter what the season.