I Am A Neighbor – It Takes a Village

When I was raising my three sons, we lived in a typical suburban neighborhood on 124 Street in Hawthorne, CA. The modest homes all contained families with two or three children.  The exception was Mr. and Mrs. Walker who were retired and all their children were raised and gone.  My boys would tear out of the house after school, ride bikes, go to the park, run in and out of each other's backyards until it was time to come home for dinner.

Now Jay and I live in a different neighborhood in Playa del Rey.  We know all of our neighbors because we are block captains for our Neighborhood Watch.  Most homes contain a retired or adult couple or single.  The exception is the St. Denis family right across the street.  They have the only two school-aged children on the block.  The sounds and the activities are different on this street because it is not populated by lots of children.  And...maybe that is why Spencer and Sophie are so special to me.

Just two weeks ago, with the beginning of the school year, we had a knock at the door.  Our neighborhood has a policy of not purchasing anything from door-to-door solicitors.  But standing on our porch was Sophie, holding three catalogs and three order forms. Two paces behind her stood her older brother, Spencer.  It was the annual school fund-raiser of selling everything from Christmas wrapping paper to cookie dough and we were annual supporters.

Sophie and Spencer with the Fund-raiser order forms

Sophie is the entrepreneur.  She must inherit this trait from her mom, Felicia, who is the owner of the local florist, Flowers by Felicia, and coffee shop.  After being invited inside, she began her sales pitch, describing the various items in the catalogue, telling me which ones seem most popular with neighbors who have already made their selections and telling me which cookie doughs she has already tried and “OH MY GOD! They are SOOOO GOOOD!”  Did I mention that Sophie is also a budding actress, having been in local children's theater productions!

Sophie is also the “neighborhood crier” keeping us up to date on all the happenings of the neighborhood residents and pets.  One day she ran up the steps to our house exclaiming, “Pat, Pat...did you hear?  Barry's dog died!  OH MY GOD...he just died!  He was lying there and HE WAS DEAD!”  Did I mention that Sophie is a budding actress???

Spencer is her opposite.  He is older by two years, is quiet, steady and consistent.  He IS an older brother.  His job in this entire operation was to accompany his sister as she made her sales.  In return, Sophie would share any prizes with him.  Spencer loves sports and there is no sound that is more music to my ears as the mother of sons than the sound of him in his driveway every day after school shooting baskets.  His dad, Justin, is a good dad...always spending time with him and the basketball or throwing football passes to him in the middle of the street.  Justin works hard to instill a sense of civic and social responsibility in both of his children and if we come home late on a Sunday night and see that our trash barrels are already at the curb, we know that Spencer has put them out for us. 

We have known these two children since the days when each of them was born.  We have watched them go from infants, to toddlers, to budding adolescents.  They bring a sense of youth, of promise, of the future to our neighborhood.  They give so much to us and we try give to them in return.  I think we scored BIG when we were able to invite them to my son's home to see the Stanley Cup.    

Justin, Sophie, Fr. Gabe, Spencer, Jay and Patricia...all around "Stanley!"

To quote Sophie..."OH MY GOD....it is the real Stanley Cup!"  Did I mention that Sophie is a budding actress?