A thank you to my fantastic neighbours

My husband had a severe stroke when we were in London.

We arrived home late on a Thursday and our excellent doctor came at 12 noon the next day.

His bedside manner was superb - it was a pleasure to see such consideration.

Immediately after our doctor left, the ‘carer’ rang. She is both a ‘carer’ and an excellent neighbour.

In the next few days our neighbours were a constant support to us.

‘‘If there is anything you need, ring me,’’ said Seamus, who lives just two fields away.

Lawrence just walks in and comes to John’s bedside. ‘‘Well, what are you doing in there?’’ John is cost in his bed surrounded by his neighbours.

In a short time Lawrence is back with tea, sugar and coffee - ‘‘just in case you need it.’’

Peter and Kathleen drive 15 miles with a smile on their faces as they arrive. ‘‘What’s this about John?’’ they ask.

When they chat to him, they realise that he is not responding to them in a verbal way, but he can most likely hear.

‘‘Oh, here are some things for you. We found them down the road,’’ they said.

The bag contained a fruit loaf, a packet of tea and Marie biscuits. How very generous our neighbours are.

Tony walks into our house and down to the bedroom and asks us, ‘‘Anything you would like from the shop?’’

He slips off his wellington boots and walks through the dining room in his socks, into my husband’s bedroom, which is our lounge. It is never-ending. Our neighbours are so kind.

There are always things we need. ‘‘Matches, please’’, I ask from the next caller.

How can we light the Christmas candles if we do not have matches.

‘‘Oh,’’ I say as I glance out the window as I see Joy arriving with a large casserole.

‘‘I thought you might like this for tea,’’ she said.

It looks and smells wonderful , as we have had a quick sandwich and are so delighted at the prospect of real food.

Within 30 minutes Libby arrives quietly with soup. All her soups are amazing! Another meal has arrived from our generous neighbours.

The soup is quickly heated on the Esse and we enjoy wheaten bread which was give to us by Gretta the previous day.

One young neighbour, Stuart, is eager to do something to help and I suggest he drives his car, stops and collects any plastic bags, containers or rubbish on the way to the church and graveyard.

‘‘I was passing and I just called to see if you needed help,’’ Our neighbours young and old bring cakes, biscuits and other goodies. Even someone very enterprising brought a pound of butter. We all love butter on our sandwich or toast. How thoughtful.

Cars are parking at the side of the country road and running into the verges to pass.

The road has gutters on it as the coffin is carried up the road.

The undertakers apologises for the mess on the road.

I reply by saying that it is due to our good neighbours who have parked their cars when they visit us to sympathise.

‘‘I will call night and morning to see if you are OK,’’ says Sean, ‘‘I am passing anyway, so I can speak in to you.’’

Our neighbours give their time too. ‘‘I will wash some dishes , as the dishwasher is full,’’ says Joan.

Domonic and Florianne clear tables, carry trays , pour tea and offer sandwiches and cake to the mourners.

The rapport between neighbours is lovely.

In our busy life, too often we do not take time to stop and reflect - in this case about my husband’s amazing life of work and play.

The funeral cortege slowly moves up the road on my husband’s last journey.

We pass our fields with sheep grazing in them, past the ‘planting’ of trees which my husband was very proud to have planted and tended.

Now the oak, rowan and larch are 20ft high.

My eyes glance the other way and at the end of our neighbours’ land stand Genevieve, John and Bryan, in black coats and eyes cast to the ground. What respect. What a great act of neighbourliness they express to me.

Surely it is fittingly described in the Bible - love God and love your neighbour as yourself.