I lived in my neighborhood for about 10 years and after 7 years knew only about 4 neighbors. Why? People knew I was a "Moonie" because I had a huge (2 ft. long) church symbol on my front window. They stayed away from me, I guess, because they didn't know how to relate to me. Only one neighbor ever asked about the symbol!

Anyway, about 3 years ago, I finally caved in and bought a puppy for my kids. I'll never forget that summer day when we first brought him home. We had put the puppy down on the sidewalk to make him walk. All of a sudden, most of the neighbors (adults and children) were surrounding us. They were so excited to see our puppy. One neighbor in particular never even smiled once at me during the 7 years I lived there. She was the first one trying to hold the puppy. Since that time, she has always been friendly and waves to me and smiles brightly.

I think my neighbors just didn't know how to relate to me. And, as long as I didn't initiate anything, they pretty much stayed away. But, the puppy won their hearts because he was so adorable! I would stop and talk with the neighbors when I'd take our dog for a walk. They always wanted to pet him and that was the excuse to begin conversations. I blessed some of my neighbors after that because their hearts were opened. If I knew this secret, I would have bought a puppy a long time ago! 

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