By Jordyn Osburn –

I lived on the corner of 15^th and Washington for eight months.  It was during the 2013/2014 record setting winter, when most of the neighborhood couldn’t find a place to shovel snow and only the bravest were willing to weather the cold for anything other than getting from their car or bus to the door.  I was pregnant and taking care of two babies as well, so even though I had planned to get to know all the neighbors on the block, I was unfortunately more of a hermit.  I don’t know if most people living around us even knew we were there.

But I still got to see God at work.  All I had to do was look out our frosty window.  Because we lived on the corner, we often saw cars get hopelessly stuck in the snow at the intersection.  EVERY time I saw a car get stuck, I also saw at least five people running out, eager to help.  I loved watching the relief on drivers’ faces when they looked up to see help coming, and realized that they weren’t alone.

I never knew who they were or caught them in the act, to say, “thank you,” but many times someone with a snow blower came to our driveway to clear an opening or pave a path to our front steps.  These are ways I saw love around our house.

We live in a world that’s used to trading: I’ll give you something if you give me something in return.  But I offered nothing to my neighbors during our time on 15^th Street.  I wish that weren’t true, but it is.  And even so, I saw generosity that I’ve never experienced in any other place that I’ve lived.