This COVID summer- I paid it forward

When I was a teenager, I loved to swim and sunbathe even though I did not have a pool. My backyard neighbors had a pool and they also had twin girls whom I would babysit when needed. During summers, I found myself at their house swimming quite often. As time went by, I became the "pool girl" for this family. Without asking or being told, I just began to clean and vacuum their pool each morning and swim and supervise the girls in the afternoon. It was a great gig. I wasn't paid but I could come when I wanted.

Fast forward 15 years later, I'm married with my first child. It's hot, it's summer and our house does not have air conditioning. What to do with a hot child on a summer day? Well, my backyard neighbors had a pool and they saw our need. They invited us to swim. That was a true relief and they shared their swimming pool with us for many years after that day. Once again, I enjoyed the generosity of my backyard neighbors and their pool.

Finally, the day came for my family to fix up our house. A decision had to be made. Do we add on to our house and include air conditioning or do we get a backyard pool. With a child still at home, the decision was made. We built a pool and have stayed cool and enjoyed many fun summer days.

Now my children are grown and gone. The pool remains. What a beautiful resource that needs to be enjoyed. This summer was the COVID summer where camps were closed and public pools limited their people space. Moms and dads were in a bind. What to do with kids on hot summer days? I decided there was only one thing to do. PAY IT FORWARD. I invited all my neighbors who had children to come and swim at my pool. It was such a fun summer meeting neighbors and seeing so many happy children enjoying themselves. Almost daily, there were families swimming at my pool. It's so nice to meet practical needs for others. See a need - meet a need. Nothing feels better than sharing with others. So my thought for today is help someone - be generous and PAY IT FORWARD!