National Good Neighbor Day
Do you remember when everyone left their doors unlocked, Brownies went door to door selling cookies without a chaperone, new neighbors were welcomed with a pie or cake, and there was no such thing as Road Rage? I have friends who grew up in Manhattan with these memories, so I know it is not just those who grew up small towns who experienced that era.

I miss that way of life – but it is clear my kids are not going to experience that lifestyle. Maybe there are a few pockets left in the world like that, but it is the exception, not the norm.

Quilters are one of the most generous groups of people I have ever met, and often the purpose of their art and craft is to give to others, to comfort and to heal others. Quilters have big hearts, and they consider "family" to be a larger circle than those who live with them under the same roof. When a neighbor or someone in their community suffers a loss or illness, quilters are right there bringing food, quilts, and companionship.

These days we develop neighborly relationships with people all over the world. I guess in that way it is an improvement over that small-town way of living, because we learn about and we care for people who live several miles or even several continents away from us.

Sunday Sept 26 is Good Neighbor Day, and I am taking that as an opportunity to think about how I can be a good neighbor, both locally and globally.

http://www.holidayinsights.com/other/goodneighbor.htm

I have to say that I have great neighbors! When we started our business in the basement of our home 11 1/2 years ago, and the business grew very big, very fast…our neighbors put up with the UPS trucks and the employees coming and going until we could secure our first warehouse and move out of the neighborhood. Whew! What a crazy time!

As our business grew that first year, and it became clear that we would have an international customer base, I thought about being a good neighbor on a global basis. That may sound strange, but with the advent of the internet and the world getting smaller every day, I felt more like a citizen of the world, not just a citizen of a country, state or town. After traveling to China to adopt our daughter Sophie,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/luanarubin/sets/72157624403833275/

… and visiting orphanages full of abandoned children

http://www.flickr.com/photos/luanarubin/sets/72157606768214652/

….healthy babies and disabled kids…I just knew that our quilter friends would want to support our efforts to be good neighbors through our charity program.

So today I invite you to review your own Good Neighbor status, and reconnect with your neighbors near and far, quilters and non-quilters. That is really the best part of this life – the love we can share with family, neighbors, and strangers in need.

To quote the late great Mr Rogers –
Won't you be my neighbor? *smile*

There are still a few spots left in our amazing trip to Bali in April.

http://www.equilter.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/travel.html

Love the book 'Eat Pray Love'? Come along with me to Bali and discover the peace, spiritual beauty and stunning visual and textile arts of this island paradise.

http://sewmanyplaces.com/tours/bali_0411.html

Contact Sew Many Places to make a deposit and set up a payment plan.

http://sewmanyplaces.com/contact.html