My neighbor (who also happens to be my father-in-law) made my day twice yesterday. When I stopped by my house between school and back to school night, I saw that our lawn (which I have been neglecting for the last 2+ weeks) had been mowed. This is no small feat, as we’ve got a big lawn. After 2+ weeks of growth, mowing it would take me well over 2 hours. Seeing that my neighbor (also my father-in-law) had taken the time and care to do this for me, knowing that I had been really busy with the start of the school year and soccer practice, made me feel loved. Thank you, Al Newton.
The perfectly mowed lawn was actually the second time that Al made my day. The first time was during a string of funny text messages that started in the morning. ”May I mow your lawn?” he asked. ”Do you really think it needs it? I was planning on doing it Wednesday.” I replied. ”You might need a combine by Wednesday.” The text thread continued (slowly) for much of the day and included jokes about children getting lost in the lawn, a difficult search for dog poop, and potentially having to start a compost pile in our front yard since the grass catcher would be full after half a pass.
I smiled every time I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. Thanks for the great gifts, Al. It’s good to be loved by your neighbors (who also happen to be your in-laws.)
Mr. Zerwas Teaches Here 