By Pattie Mihalik

Sometimes, someone’s good news doesn’t feel so good for others.

When my wonderful next door neighbors told me they decided to move back to the Chicago area to be close to their large, extended family, I thought it was the total opposite of good news.

When Brandi and Cliff moved in next door, they were a delight right from the start. As soon as they arrived, their three youngsters were gleefully whooping it up when they saw the big swimming pool in their backyard.

The sound of giggling, happy youngsters made me smile, too. Ever since, those little ones have given me plenty of reasons to smile. And their parents proved to be first rate, the best next door neighbors I’ve encountered in Florida.

When you live in proximity to a family, and much of our time is spent outdoors, you get to know what people are like.

Never, in the two years they were here, did I ever hear anyone in that family raise their voice to discipline the kids. Nor did I hear the children squabble. I think they were having too much fun with their parents learning to fish and golf or playing family games that seemed to be part of every day.

I thought that special family was even more amazing when Cliff came over to ask me if he could cut weeds for me. The two landscapers I hired did a terrible job, claiming it was impossible to cut the weeds next to the pond because they were growing in the water.

Cliff laughed and had the weeds gone in no time.

When they saw me struggling to carry bags of mulch, they quickly came to help.

I told Cliff and Brandi they were extraordinary neighbors and I didn’t want them to leave.

“Don’t worry,” said Cliff. “It will probably take a few months for the house to sell.”

Instead, their home was listed on a Friday and sold within 24 hours. I will miss them and their joyful kids.

I’ve always known that one’s neighbors can play a big part in how much you can enjoy your neighborhood. They can make or break how you feel about your property.

With that in mind, when Andy and I were trying to decide between two building lots, I talked with the neighbors alongside of each property. I picked the lot with the nicest neighbors.

My neighbor Irene told me she wasn’t the type who dropped in uninvited. “But if you need anything you can always count on me,” she said.

When Irene saw how I was struggling to stop the mudslides from ruining my backyard waterfall, she said her daughter Mary was a whiz who could fix anything.

That was incredibly true.

I lived a long life and have met a lot of good people. But Mary will always be right up at the top my cherished people list. My husband was right when he said Mary’s friendship was a gift from God.

She was there for Andy when he was going through the horrible rigors of his illnesses, and she was there for me to pull me through after Andy passed away.

“If you need me, leave your porch light on and I’ll be right there,” she said. Mary brought me through countless difficulties. She is no longer my neighbor but she will never move out of the special place she holds in my heart.

When someone asked me what I missed most when I moved to Florida, I answered with one word: “Mary!”

The other night when I was having a hard time falling asleep I thought about all the good people I’ve had the pleasure of calling neighbor.

From the time I was a little girl there have been special neighbors that made life nicer for me.

When Mrs. Kreiger noticed how I liked to look through her picket fence at her beautiful garden, she opened the gate and told me I could come sit in that wonderful garden whenever I wanted, as long as I didn’t pick the flowers without permission.

At the time my family lived in a house without a yard. The only place I had to play was on the back concrete stoop.

The woman next door had a small yard but she screamed at me not to put one foot on her property. It seemed strange to me that she asked me to go to the store for her at least once a week and it was a long walk for me to get there. My mother said I should run errands for the neighbor because she had a hard time walking. But she didn’t have a hard time screaming if I stepped in her yard.

I learned at an early age there were wonderful neighbors like Mrs. Kreiger who made life better and there were mean people like that screaming woman who made life unpleasant.

I’ve always said that good neighbors can add immensely to the value of your house. And best yet, this wonderful asset isn’t taxable.

I enjoy people and truly value every good neighbor.

Today, many people stick to themselves, and we can live in a place for years without knowing our neighbors.

I’m holding my breath, hoping the couple buying the house next door will be as nice as Cliff and Brandi, because good neighbors are a blessing.

Contact Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net.