So I am dealing with major shock and disillusionment at the moment. Last night at around 7:30 (I wasnt home I was at school) our doorbell rang. My husband dressed in his boxer/shorts and no shirt chewing his dinner answers the door...it was our neighbor next door. She is an older retired woman who has lived in the house with her older retired husband since Billy was very young. The Andersons has been a good family friend to my husbands family for many years and has been the most supportive and nice neighbors we have (next to our in laws). They attended our wedding, gave us a housewarming gift of their homemade wine and bread, and even brought us a gift for our daughter when she was born. She tells my husband that she just wants to make us aware that there is West Nile Virus in our area and that we should be aware for our sake but especially for our daughters sake. She proceeds to then tell him that the reason she knows this is because her husband died 6 weeks ago from it...6 WEEKS ago! My husband not being the greatest at comforting words stood their silenced for what he describes as 5 minutes. He offered our condolences and support in any way but in my mind it isnt good enough. She said she understands we are busy and constantly on the go and asked us not to feel bad that we didnt know. WHAT?! Both Bill and I sat for an hour and a half just in shock and ashamed that we had no idea for that long that anything had even happened. What kind of world do we live in that our neighbors would have no clue if we were dead or alive! My embarrassment and guilt are running deep today as a neighbor, a Christian, and a friend. My eyes have opened widely to the fact that I am not doing my job and no life should be that busy that it takes one over a month to realize their neigbor was dead. We are going to do our best to make up for it this evening by going over there and possibly getting her a card signed by all of the family and maybe gift cards for the grocery store and gas. What DO you get? Flowers are too little too late, just a card shrugs it off....I couldnt feel worse right now. I even feel the guilt of..do we have any standing water in the backyard that would have promoted mosquitos? how about the fact that we are the worst landscapers alive and never mow our yard or pull weeds...mosquitos like tall grass. I wrote her a letter this morning just apologizing for her loss and offering our support. They are such good people and would do anything for us, I want to be seen as those kind of people too. I am so far from it.
I would like to just lift this family up in prayer because they truly are Christ-like people. Although I know Bob is in heaven rejoicing with the Lord Shirley is now here in a beautiful little home that she had planned to grow very old in with her dear husband and now her life is forever changed in literally 3 days from something as simple as a mosquito bite at their own backyard barbecue.