My Neighbor

My neighbor is from Croatia and she visited there just recently. Her youngest sister is at her end with cancer and so she went to see her one last time. I saw Donka (that is her name) for the first time since she came back just the other day. She was on her riding lawn mower moving around the yard and she saw me approach and so she stopped and shut off the mower to say hello. We hugged and I asked her how her trip went. That is when she started to cry. She cried really hard and said how sad she is and how hard it is and that she misses her sister and it's just so sad. She just kept crying and so I kept hugging her and telling her how sorry I am for her. And I truly am so sorry that she is so far away from her family and it must be so heart wrenching to know that it may indeed have been the last time she will have seen her sister. So sad.

And when she was done crying, she looked at me and seemed to remember something and told me to wait. She went inside for a couple of minutes and when she returned she had goodies in her hand... for me! She said (in her broken English) that she brought me candy from Croatia, special for me:)

And this is a picture of the candy:)

And it some of the most delicious candy I've ever eaten:)


And I love that it came all the way from her home:)

Donka is a blessing to us. Her generosity is unmatched by anyone I've ever known. She is constantly giving us her homemade pastries, pickled hot peppers, and the best German potato salad I've ever had. We pick from her garden from spring through fall almost everyday. And if she hasn't seen me pick for a couple of days, she leaves a basket of fresh produce on our doorstep just in case.

She is a wonderful, good natured woman and I truly hope that the years to come will bring us closer together:)

If you believe in prayer, and you do indeed pray... keep her in mind. She could use a little extra during this difficult time.