Love Thy Neighbor

When I was in college, I had a summer job as a tree surgeon. We did not use a truck-mounted, cherry-picker -- we used ropes.

Most of the time, our task was "fine pruning," which meant removing every bit of dead wood in a tree that was larger than a pencil. I remember tying ropes to all my saws and my lunch box, climbing up into a large live oak and not coming down until the end of the day. Some trees took several days to prune, but they looked terrific when completed.

Every day, when I drive around Fayetteville, I look at homes, I look at yards, but, mostly, I look at trees. Because of my background, I notice trees that need to be pruned, lifted or even repaired. Don't tell my church members, but there are times I would rather have a chain saw in my hands instead of a keyboard or a Bible.

One home, in particular, kept catching my eye. Two friends of mine live there -- a church member and her daughter. They have a beautiful lot filled with terrific trees and shrubs. Since the husband/father died, though, it has been difficult for them to keep up with the yard work. Some plants have died, and many are overgrown. If only there was someone who could help ...

So, on Labor Day, I loaded up my saw, rake, trimmer, mower ... and my family. The five of us cut (not counting Pearl, the wonder dog), raked and cleaned all afternoon. Keeping two sixth-graders, a fifth-grader and a beagle on task for that long was a challenge, but they did good work. We were sweaty and dirty, but we left with a huge pile of brush and a tremendous sense of accomplishment. Every day, when we drive by the house, all three boys say, "Wow, look how good that looks!"

We talked about Labor Day and how it feels to work hard. The main lesson we learned was how important it is to help folks who cannot do everything for themselves. Several times during the day, I recited a Bible verse I memorized more than 30 years ago: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: To look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" -- James 1:27.

There are people all over Northwest Arkansas who need a little help. Maybe their health does not allow them to work around the house. Maybe they need a ride to the grocery store. Maybe they simply need someone to talk to. Let's all strive to take a moment and help our neighbors when they are in distress. You can even bring the kids and your own wonder dog.