Suburban search for meaning

In my suburban neighborhood, we rarely see our neighbors during the winter. We pull our cars straight into the garage, which in some cases leads us straight into the house without ever having to feel the cold or see the sky. Rushing back and forth to work, to school, to the grocery store and to the countless appointments of our overscheduled children, it is possible to forget whether you know anybody you have not made an appointment to see. That is my excuse for the winter months. So how do I account for the spring?

Last fall, our neighbors directly across the street moved and sold their house to a family who are members and regular attenders of the church I have served for the past seven years. I see them on Sundays, but it took me three months to figure out that they had moved into the house across the street.

During those months, I would see Tracy running or walking her dog and I would think, "It's interesting that her route takes her to my block these days." I saw her enter the house across the street in her running clothes and acting with the confidence of someone who lived there ("Gosh, does she know the new neighbors? I should ask her about them since I've not yet met them"). And one day I saw her emerging from the house with her dog ("Why is Tracy's dog inside my neighbor's house?"). Finally it dawned on me.