I’m wrapping up my chat with my friends Pete and June in their living room, just before they celebrate their 69th wedding anniversary. And we return to a familiar topic in our conversations: their neighbors.
Pete loves to talk about their street. He describes how there are seventeen families on the block, and over the years he has given each five letters talking about Jesus. He starts gently and then puts on a little more pressure. He tells them there is a heaven and there is a hell. He’s seen some reaction and a lot of no reaction, but all are friendly. They all know his condition now; he’s told them all.
She smiles the whole time, even as cancer ravages her body. She smiles and sings. Her smile is alight with hope as she gazes on us from her front stoop, backlit by the warmth of her home.