“We cannot live only 
for ourselves.” 
Herman Melville

Quite regularly, as I walk around the condominium complex where Kathy and I have lived for almost forty years, I reflect on the wisdom of a Chinese proverb: “A good neighbor is a priceless treasure.” We have been blessed with an abundance of good neighbors.

Sylvia Mathews Burwell, a non-profit executive and former president of American University in Washington, D.C., pointed out what many of us have observed in our own lives. She said, “Day after day, ordinary people become heroes through extraordinary and selfless actions to help their neighbors.” In our condo complex, one such individual is Martha. 

I mentioned to Martha that I would like to write a blog post about her, and asked if I could take a photo of her working on one of her many gardening projects in the neighborhood (the one on Williams Road in the photo above.) She told me that she would prefer that I not take her photo. She doesn’t want the publicity. I respect that. In fact, Martha was recently selected as the “Volunteer of the Year” at a local library. She declined to receive the award. She wants to make a positive impact on her community, but she has no interest in being recognized for her efforts. She did tell me, however, that she appreciates it when people stop, acknowledge the work she does, and express their gratitude. This is precisely what I did yesterday afternoon.

While out for a walk in the neighborhood, I noticed a woman carefully pouring water out of a one-gallon jug into a small garden of vegetables in the front yard of what I assumed was her home, just around the corner from our complex. As I passed by, I quipped, “Your garden looks great.” The woman looked up at me. Much to my surprise, I recognized that it was Martha. Apparently, she met one of our neighbors on Daffodil Way a while back and offered to care for her garden — at no cost to the homeowner. Gardening is Martha’s passion… and gift. 

Martha informed me that she cares for several other private family home gardens in the neighborhood, as well a number of projects on our complex property. It’s what she loves to do, and she does it extraordinarily well.

I often tell people that I live in a “great” condominium community and that we’ve been blessed with amazing neighbors. The words of Coretta Scott King explain why I feel the way I do. She said, “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”