If you missed Part One of this grouping, click here.
The Quote
'Our brethren are with us constantly, and we must not only be mindful of them, but also of the stranger in our midst. Let us be reminded of this obligation by these words of Burton Hillis:
“If there is a stranger in your neighborhood today,
better check up on him.
He may need a friend.
If he is still a stranger tomorrow,
better check up on your neighborhood.”'
Meet William E. Vaughn
Burton Hillis's actual name was William (or Bill) E. Vaughn.
I know - you'd never guess, would you? Another person claimed by the waves of history, only now churning up on a beach here and there.
He was a columnist in Kansas City who delighted in folksy platitudes. Out of all the ones I've read so far, my favorite is one I want on a T-shirt:
"To err is human. To really foul things up requires a computer."
The quote from the talk's pretty good too. We all need someone who checks up on us at some points in our lives.
My hubby is super good about checking on the neighbors. For years, we lived next door to a little old lady, a widow, who was so independent, and who herself checked up on her friends on the street who still lived there, some of whom had been there since the mid-60s, when the houses were new.
In her eighties, her eyesight was bad on her right side, and her friend down the street couldn't see out of her left eye, so they would drive to IHOP once a week, and take turns looking out at the side mirrors to make sure no one hit them.
She passed away in her late nineties, when she kept falling and Alzheimer's set in. Her granddaughter and we watched out for her until the end. At her funeral, I got hold of the program and looked her up - found out she was my cousin.
Very grateful that there were no regrets there. No "I wish I'd gotten to know her better before the end." She was a good friend, and I'm proud to add her to the known family tree. I hope to always live in a neighborhood where neighbors know and help each other.
