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lost arts There are a many wonderful things to be celebrated in our modern society. (In this recent heat wave I am most thankful for air conditioning.) But, there are some traditions of bygone eras that I wish were still sacred.

Take for example the simple gesture of bringing a dish over to a new neighbor when the move in. This used to be standard (or so I hear). You introduce yourself, offer a helping hand, and impart a favorite recipe. You know why? Because moving is hard. As some one who has done this more times than I care to count, I can't tell you how much I would have appreciated a basket muffins or a cheesy casserole at the end of a long day of unboxing my belongings. Of course my fridge was always bare. And, let's not even mention trying to find my dishes in the mounds of newspaper even if I did have anything to cook. Thankfully we all have pizza delivery these days, right? So, when my parents recently moved even closer to us (grandkids - they'll do it every time), I decided to take them a little something sweet. They were after all, present at more of my moves than they care to count. I found a recipe for soft chocolate chip cookies on Pinterest. You can get it here. I wrapped them up in a cute box I had laying around. I also clipped some roses from my yard and placed them in a mason jar. If that doesn't say welcome home, I don't know what does. And you know what, I was rewarded with another lost art form - the thank you note. The next day I received this sweet note from my step-dad:

I had one of those days yesterday where I would have been better off staying in bed.  Highlights included having to mop the breakfast room 5 times because of problems I was having getting the water to the refrigerator, gouging my finger with a hole saw, ripping the skin off a knuckle (not sure how that happened), having the wrong ends for the antenna cable, and cleaning up dog poop two times within five minutes.
Your bringing Vivi, Beau, and yourself by the house was the absolute highlight of my day.  I really needed that few minutes to remind me of what is important in life.  The cookies were wonderful and we love having the fresh flowers in the living room.
So, if you see a new neighbor struggling to get their couch through the door or if you have a friend who has just purchased her own pad, take a minute and make them something. Maybe these cookies, maybe something else. Take it to them in a cute package. You can leave it on their doorstep if you are shy or don't want to get suckered into helping haul in that king size mattress. Moving is hard. Re-instituting this lost art is not.

Posted by the happy family at 10:23 PM