The Lawn Fairy

I pulled into the driveway at 5 pm after a LOOOOOOONNNNNNNGGGGG day at work filled with:

• running the book fair,
• working on a school-wide reading event for next Tuesday,
• talking with parents on conference day,
• meeting with a teacher about a unit we are kicking off tomorrow,
• and planning for an upcoming visiting author,

when what do I see?

...my lawn nicely mowed and manicured.

Now, there are people in the world who are regularly greeted by a beautifully maintained front lawn courtesy of a great lawn service. Great idea and I would love to have that service, but right now we aren't those people.

We are the people who tend to the lawn on the weekend (and by we, I mean B!) after a week of work and other commitments. We work really hard (okay, B works really hard) on Saturday morning, or sometimes even after work in the evening, to mow and edge and water so that our lawn isn't the neighborhood sore spot.

So we (meaning B) either do it ourselves OR we have started to have one of the young men from church come and tend to our lawn for us (also usually on the weekends) so that B can work on other things.

Funny thing was that this morning when I left for work, I thought to myself... "Self, you need to call [young man from church] and see if he can come mow the lawn - especially since we had all that rain last week." To which I replied and said, "Self, I'll do that tonight after I watch the premiere of Survivor." And myself said, "Great - get 'r dun." (I didn't really have a conversation in dialogue, this is just to add to the effect of the story. Just saying. Don't think I'm crazy. Even though I might be. A little. Here and there. Anyway...

I went to work (see the looooong note above!) and then I came home.

As soon as I pulled into the driveway, I knew that someone had been to my house and had mowed, trimmed, edged the lawn and it all looked so purty that I thought, "Did B get home from work early and decide to mow the lawn?" Then I realized that no, it couldn't have been B, it was way too early for him to be here.

I was on the phone with my seester sharing my shock and awe at what I was seeing, when a light came on in my head (this one was a bright one, too!) and I realized my lawn had probably been tended to by my awesome next door neighbor.

So, needing to know the truth for myself, I went over and knocked on the door, As soon as he opened up, I knew that I was right and started to cry ('cuz I do that!) when I asked, "Did you mow my [insert cracking voice] lawn?"

Then I cried a little bit more when he said, "I just thought I'd help you guys out."

And then his sweet wife interjected, "We'll call him The Lawn Fairy!"

So, I gave him a hug, cried some more ('cuz that's what I do!), and walked back across my beautiful lawn with a heart full of thanks that we have such great neighbors and that my life was blessed today with such a generous gift.

And now as I cry again while I write this ('cuz that's what I do), I realize that there are still good, kind, charitable, thoughtful people in a world that is more often than not filled with selfishness and greed, and my heart is happier.

All because The Lawn Fairy is one heck of a guy!