Big Mama's Neighbors

Reflections on the verse Matthew 22:39 and what that has meant for me recently.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Matthew 22:39

When my husband Andre and I moved to Saint James Court over 3 years ago we were excited to live in such a beautiful community. People would come from all over Louisville to take pictures in front of the Saint James Court fountain. The Louisville tour trollies often brought visitors to view the fountain. We were especially proud because our condominium sat right in front of the famous fountain. But not too long after we moved in, I started to notice another part of our new community: a sweet little cat sitting in front of our condo. We asked our neighbors Ron and Kathleen in our complex, “Is this your cat?” They said, “No, she belongs to the neighborhood. Her name is Tubby.”

While sitting on the lovely veranda on warm days, I could watch Tubby sit out in the sun and watch all the Tubby fans walk by, stop to say hello, and pet her. She was truly a part of the Saint James Court community even more than the fountain.

Little did I know that like Tubby, we would become a big part of this community. Andre and I have lived in other parts of Louisville, in Jersey City and Montclair, New Jersey, and in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. But living on Saint James Court has become a truly different experience. It taught me the value of being part of a neighborhood and what it meant to be a true neighbor to someone.

Our first encounter with this community was meeting all the other condo owners in our building. They went out of their way to make us feel welcome in the middle of a pandemic! They always greeted us with a smile and genuinely wanted to know how we were doing. Our first connection was with Jack and Diane. Their back door shared a common porch sitting area with our back door.  I would get a simple text saying “check the back porch” and there would often be some cooked dishes awaiting me to bring inside to heat up. Our other porch neighbor Laura would also hit me up with a similar text with fresh veggies or peaches from the peach truck awaiting my back door. Diane knew that my husband was vegan. She and her husband Jack were total foodies and always knew the best places in Louisville to find a great meal, plus, once owned a vegan restaurant in Chicago and was a great cook. Diane would open her home on a whim and have an impromptu wine get together in her condo where I got to meet many of the other Saint James Court neighbors.

Jack and Diane at the celebration for the 125th birthday for our flat

Every year my birthday happens during the same week as the famous Saint James Court Art Show in the first week of October. For my first art show weekend my neighbors all jumped in and made sure that I knew the lay of the land, where to park, and how to survive the hustle and bustle of the busy art show weekend. On Sunday, the final day of my first art show weekend, my fellow condo mates along with a few others on Saint James Court met at my condo to throw me a surprise birthday gathering! When my doorbell rang, wine, charcuterie boards, gifts and a cake suddenly appeared out of nowhere! It was a beautiful surprise and truly meant a lot to me.

I have many other memories with Jack and Diane. They have a beautiful collection of art and they would open their door to invite anyone in at any time.  When my grown children would come home to visit during the holidays, Diane would invite them to her place. My son would be at her condo playing the piano and when my house was super cramped my daughter just had to knock on Jack and Diane’s door to be able to use their bathroom. If that is not family, I don’t know what is!

We often joked that Diane was not allowed to purchase any more art from the famous Saint James Art Show because her collection was so extensive, she would have to start nailing art to the ceiling!

I have had many more encounters with these wonderful neighbors. Diane was an animal activist. If someone’s pet was sick, she would pay the vet bill. She was a member of Special Paws that took care of small dogs in Jeffersontown. She volunteered at the Conrad Caldwell Museum on St James Court and often pushed them to have racial equity on the board by nominating people of color to participate on their board. She loved Shakespeare in the park and enjoyed the Louisville Orchestra.

Upon her sudden and unexpected passing the Saint James Court family along with her husband mourned her loss. Losing someone with so much personality and community involvement hit the heart of the neighborhood. The community offered support to her husband by dropping off food, checking on him with texts and phone calls, helping him care for their personal pets and invited him to small get togethers. Her big beautiful quirky spirit will truly be missed because she was one of many neighbors that made the Saint James Court community a special place to live. She demonstrated through her care and actions what it meant to be a neighbor. Tomorrow is not promised so appreciate and “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”