Article December 27, 1999 Issue

Baseballs, flowers, and the boys next door

How an invitation to help changed a relationship

By Jean Branch

We live in the suburbs where our neighbors border our home quite closely. The resident children are well mannered and respectful, but they are baseball lovers, or rather, "any kind of ball" lovers. Their enthusiastic efforts at the games frequently sent the balls over into our yard. Although there is a weathered gate on the rustic fence separating us, usually the baseball-tossing-batting-fun-loving children would decide that climbing over the fence was easier and more enjoyable than using the gate, despite my reminders. At times the climb-overs would break the split-rail fence in one area.

I tried to be patient and forgiving, in an effort to follow Christ Jesus' teachings. If I were in the yard, I'd toss the ball back to them. At one time I even offered a large cardboard backstop to prevent the fence from being totally destroyed. But the problem continued. As the boys grew, so did their enthusiasm. I sometimes wondered if I dared work in the garden when their games were in full swing. I knew there had to be a proper solution that allowed us all to enjoy the outdoors near our homes.

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