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Welcome to the 43rd issue of Flanders Family Freebies, a weekly themed list of resources designed by me, Jennifer Flanders, in hopes of helping you build a strong, happy, healthy home. Thank you for giving me a place in your inbox -- I deeply appreciate it!

Howdy, Neighbor!

Once again, I'm getting this newsletter out later than planned. Tuesday was "National Good Neighbor Day," which I took as the theme for this week's link list.

Fortunately, if you had neighbors on Tuesday, chances are you still have them today. And Jesus expects us to honor His command to "love your neighbor as yourself" not only on September 28, but throughout the other 364 days of the year, as well.
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So, without further adieu, here's all I've got on putting Mark 12:31 into practice...

Free resources for you this week:

• ​Good Neighbor Conversation Starters - discussion prompts that foster appreciation for good neighbors & the desire to be a better one yourself
• ​25 Ways to Be a Good Neighbor - ideas for connecting with the people around you
• ​Neighborhood Bingo Scavenger Hunt - a fun printable to use on family walks around the block
• ​On being a Good Neighbor - thoughts on loving our neighbors and who that includes
• ​Love Your Neighbor Coloring Page - a hand-drawn version of Mark 12:31 for you to color
• ​Good Neighbor Coloring Page - "Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away"

What I'm reading this week:

I just finished Alexandra Kuykendall's book Loving My Actual Neighbor. [Notice I'm sticking with the theme, even in my book selection. 😉] This audio book prompted many one-sided conversations with the author in my head as I listened while driving and doing laundry. In principle, I agree with much of what Kuykendall has to say in this book. In practice, I often fail at following her suggestions, especially when it comes to listening in silence.

That one is hard for me. The listening part is important, yes. It's the "being quiet" that gives me trouble. And maybe that's okay. Because if we know the TRUTH of Scripture, and Scripture speaks to the issue under discussion, why wouldn't we share it? Fortunately, Kuykendall covers "holding a posture of humility" in chapter one. And if humility infuses our response, perhaps it will be better received.

What we're watching this week:

We watched a very moving documentary last night called The Babies of 9-11: 20 Years Later. The producer is a family friend and sent us a link. The special, which features Diane Sawyer's interactions with 9-11 widows whose babies were born in the months following their husbands a good lesson in hope and resilience and is also a great reminder to cherish the time we've been given with our loved ones and live each day well, as none of us are guaranteed a tomorrow.

Progress on last week's goals:

I completed almost all my goals from last week: ✅ wrote seven fifteen letters, ✅finished reading one two books, ✅taught a scherenschnitte craft class to 20+ grade-school girls, ✅ mulched my flower beds (son Gabriel did the lion's share), and ✅ taxied kids to co-op classes, Bible studies, and volleyball games (a job that will be much easier now that Daniel got his driver's license)

Goals for next week:

• write 5 letters
• walk 4 miles
• publish 3 blog posts
• repair 2 things in my mending pile
• clean out 1 storage box

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