INSPIRASUNS

Our little community is pretty special. The setup is nice, with just one big circle and condos on each side of the road. Our buildings only have four units in each, so again we’re pretty small compared to the larger communities in Florida.

It’s not a secret that the population here in Florida is increasing, like daily. Our little community has seen it as well, we’ve had quite the turnover these past few years, with I think like ten or eleven units sold. Now, admittedly, our community had some very long-time residents, some since it was developed back in 1998, so it’s not unusual that we did have a series of units being sold.

Well, last year we put together a welcome committee, you know, kind of like the old “welcome wagon” organization, (which is still around today). I get that many of you reading this have no idea about the welcome wagon. It was actually started back in 1928, and “hostesses”, women who were knowledgeable about their neighborhood, would personally deliver baskets of gifts supplied by local businesses to new homeowners.

Yes, we’ve started this same program here in our little community. We’ve purchased items from local businesses like Florida honey, soaps made by a local store, items to make their first meal here, and of course, there are homemade cookies by one of our local residents. Everything is placed in a nice basket and wrapped with a welcome card, (not by me of course, you all know how I’m an ops person not the creative one in the group).

This week we’ll deliver three baskets, meaning three new residents have moved in. This gives new residents a chance to meet people in the community and in turn gives neighbors a chance to get to know each other. We share a little about how long we’ve been here, answer questions the new residents may have, learn about their backgrounds, share information about our community events, and encourage them to join us at those events.

This has been a great program and I think our community is stronger and more connected by something as simple as delivering a welcome basket. It has brought neighbors together to do a few things, first, to source some local products from local businesses, second to work together on a fun project with people they may not have known well, and then, of course, provide an opportunity to meet and welcome new people to our community. And…yes you can see Father as work in the middle of this little project 🙂 .

I’m not sure how large your community is, and I’m not sure if this is something that would even work for where you are, but it’s just a reminder to find ways to connect with your neighbors. Whether you’re in a large neighborhood, an apartment, or a little community like ours, I hope you’ll find an opportunity to say hi, and learn about those near you. You never know what your neighbor may be going through. You might be the only hello they hear that day.

Oh and hey, if you need some insight into starting that welcome committee, just let me know 🙂 Have a great day my friends!

Romans 15:7
Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.