eighbor Mocks Poor Woman for Filthy Look of Her House, Apologizes after She Sets Foot Inside — Story of the Day

Sarah’s neighbor, Mrs. Cardigan, had frequently expressed dissatisfaction with the condition of Sarah’s house, even raising her voice when improvements weren’t made promptly. Instead of reacting with frustration, Sarah chose to invite Mrs. Cardigan and two other neighbors into her home. This simple gesture led to an unexpected shift in their relationship.

Mrs. Teller,

It’s unbelievable that I have to voice my complaints about this. Your yard needs to be fixed right away. You should paint your home. It’s a catastrophe! Because you’re so close by, it devalues all of our houses and ruins the appearance of our community. Please complete it right away!

Regards,

Cardigan, Mrs.

Sarah picked up yet another note from Mrs. Cardigan and let out a frustrated breath. Over the past two weeks, the elderly woman had been leaving messages stuck to Sarah’s door, but she no longer knew how to respond. With a deep sigh, Sarah crushed the paper in her hand, marched inside, and tossed it into the trash with more force than intended.

She thought to herself, “This intrusive woman has no clue,” and continued with her day, organizing the groceries she had just purchased. All she could do now was hope they would drop the subject and move on.

Shutting the door, she peered through her curtains at them. They had all three come to a stop a few yards apart and were engaged in a heated discussion about something.

But Sarah ought to have anticipated what transpired the following day.

CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! RING, RING, RING!

Sarah glanced up from changing her one-year-old son’s diaper, a frown forming on her face. Someone was at the door, pounding with clenched fists and ringing the bell incessantly, potentially disturbing her husband Andrew, who was trying to rest after a long night shift at the factory. Her newborn needed peace, and her older children were at school. Whoever was outside had better have a good reason for such a disruption.

When she opened the door and saw three of her neighbors, her frown did not budge. It did not surprise her. They would eventually become weary of her disregarding the grievances over her yard. There was Mrs. Cardigan among them. Mrs. Levy and Mr. Sanders were also present. At one point, Sarah had a brief encounter with them all because they all resided in a little town in Washington. “Hi there… “What’s going on?” she questioned, perplexed by their irate expressions.

Mrs. Cardigan began, “Mrs. Teller, I’ve sent numerous notes, and it seems they’ve all been ignored.” Her gestures matched her mocking tone, which Sarah found quite offensive. “Your yard is in complete disrepair, and you seem to think this is acceptable. We’re forming a homeowner’s association, and you will be fined for this. Is that what you want?”

Beside her, the other neighbors gave her a nod, voiced a few grievances of their own, and occasionally even laughed. Of all of them, Mrs. Cardigan’s cackle was the worst. Although Sarah knew it looked awful, she wasn’t in the mood to mend her garden.

What lessons may we draw from this tale?

Humans are decent at heart, but occasionally we need to remind them of that. Sarah’s neighbors chose to act and assist her as soon as they learned of her predicament.

No matter what, show your neighbors respect. Before they learned how difficult life was for Sarah’s family, Sarah’s neighbors made fun of her and voiced their complaints. But they quickly made up for what they had done.

Talk about this tale with your companions. It could motivate them and make their day better.