Neighbor Tuesday: Holiday Edition

Hi neighbors! Someone this week said they missed seeing last week’s Neighbor Tuesday in their inbox. I thought for sure I sent that. Well, lo and behold, I went and looked in the draft folder and there it was, sitting all sad and lonely. And, guess what it said? Something like, “There’s no Neighbor Tuesday today”. Ha! Riveting, I know. But also ironic, right? Oh well, sorry about that!

Today’s Neighbor Tuesday will be a bit of an abbreviated one. In the academic world that I’m in, December/January seems to be deadline time - which I for one think is an awful idea. =) I don’t like working all frenzy over the holidays or having my team do the same - so, I’m on a mission to get the deadlines and grants and papers in earlyish. Which means this Neighbor Tuesday is a bit more of a ‘what I’m thinking about and loving lately’ type. In the spirit of the holidays, let’s work towards all things cheer and joy.

Well, just kidding. Not only cheer and joy, but also hope and sadness and tears. Because holidays are like that sometimes, aren’t they? I think that’s ok too. I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately because the holidays are just hard for some people. What we need is not more eggnog and sugar cookies, but perhaps a bit more peace, stability, and joy. If I’m being honest, peace, stability, and joy along with sugar cookies sounds awesome too though. And throw in some quiet for good measure. Or maybe pressures to not feel so pressure-ey and joys to feel more joy-ey.

This week, it made me think of the action of neighboring. I had a friend from church come up to me and say he’s reading my book, and loved how it’s making him think through being a neighbor more as a verb than a noun. I loved that. My book certainly is all about that.

It’s also about coming into who we were meant to be. I’m convinced that’s neighbors. I’m a little biased because neighboring has given me the courage to step into my true self that I was too quiet or peace-makery to let out. In Chapter 12 titled ‘To Be You’, I say:

“We need you to be you. Fully you, gifted and unique and…fine just the way you are. You. And then us. That’s how the world changes. Have the courage to be fully you. The world needs that. And that’s enough, my friends. More than enough.”

This chapter comes right after the two hardest chapters for me to write - the ones about loss and untethering, a 15 month health awfulness and threats, leaving our church and home to a new somewhere. Those two chapters are all about cost and you’ll probably notice they aren’t neatly tied up in a bow. I did that on purpose because I couldn’t tie anything up neatly anyways. If you listened to the audiobook, you’ll probably hear that messiness in my voice. But, the next chapter is that one about being you and it opens up the Courage section of the book. I don’t think that’s a coincidence I put that chapter right after the hard Cost section. I also know that one of the first things to emerge after we live neighboring like a verb is authenticity. Joy and peace too.

I hope today can be a reminder that neighboring helps us be our full selves. And that full self is just fantastic and enough, with the capacity for joy and courage, and the ability to rest.

Happy Neighbor Tuesday, neighbors! You’re more than enough and doing a good job! Go get you some sugar cookies and eggnog.

Emily