Waving 

Waving at people that you pass on the street and saying hello, was 
expected.  Not many people in neighborhoods wave as you pass in your cars 
today.  Why is that?  Too busy, or afraid?

I grew up in a small town.  People would sit on their front porch in the 
evenings.  They did this because it was cooler.  People had air 
conditioners then, they were called fans.  Until the sun went down, most 
evenings you could see your neighbors outside in lawn chairs, or on a porch 
swing.  Their entertainment was chatting with neighbors and watching their 
children play.

No one seemed to be in a hurry. We rarely ate fast food. There were  two 
restaurants that served hamburgers and hot dogs. There were no soccer games 
to rush to, we didn't know anything about soccer.
Kids would play a game of tag, or baseball.  Everyone knew each other in 
the neighborhood.  Children addressed their neighbors by using their last 
name.  "Hello Mr. Wilson!"  was used by a TV character named Dennis the 
Menace.  Every child was expected to address adults in this proper 
manner.  We always waved "hello" to everyone that passed down the street, 
regardless if we knew them or not.  They always waved back.  Everyone was 
friendly then.  We believed that people meant no harm.  It was a wonderful 
way to live.

We have recently moved,  it is difficult to meet the neighbors.  They are 
always rushing here and there.  Children climbing in and out of vans like 
movies on fast forward.  Families have little time just to sit and enjoy a 
sunset, catch lightening bugs, and just be neighborly.  On one occasion, I 
happened to notice my neighbor getting out of her car, and decided to ask 
her a question.  I asked if she worked.  I worried that she thought I was a 
nosey neighbor, but I wanted to know her better.  She stopped, and said 
"no, she had been taking care of her mother who had been ill."  I told her 
that I would remember to pray for her and her mother.  She thanked me.  Now 
when I see my neighbor, she smiles and gives me a little update on her 
mother's health.  I feel a little bit more a part of the neighborhood now.
There is one person in which I have made an acquaintance.  Perhaps I will 
begin this week to wave at the neighbor across the street.