Real Community

Have you been to NYC? Did you think of it as fun and exciting yet cold and distanced? Those were some of my first impressions when Laura and I made regular trips to the city from grad school in New Jersey. Those same impressions came to life when Laura and I moved to the Upper East Side of Manhattan. But in Brooklyn, well, things are different. We're experiencing community like never before.

You've read about our upstairs neighbors, Yael and Bryan. Their generosity overwhelms us. Above them lives Erik. He let's us use his washer and dryer...for free! Below us live Jack and Delores, our landlords. They had every right to raise our rent this past year but didn't because of Ira's situation. They are loving and gracious and Sophia adores them.

But it doesn't stop there. A couple down the street invited us for dinner not long ago. They were saddened to hear that Ira was back in the hospital and understood that we couldn't come over. They immediately supplied us with delicious homemade banana muffins. They told another family on the street of our predicament. We have never officially met this family but they felt compelled to bring us turkey noodle soup. Yum, yum. And to top it off, another family on the block is letting our mothers use their house while they're away.

The next time your in NYC and you're thinking to yourself how cold and distanced it feels know there is a neighborhood in Brooklyn that cares for each other in very real and practical ways.