Forgive me for repeating myself when I tell you that my husband and I have moved more than the average family. Sometimes we have wonderful neighbors, other times silent neighbors and then there were the times we had horrible neighbors.

This time, we drew the lucky token. We live among a group of superb neighbors in Sun City Lincoln Hills.

Our neighbors are more than just the people who live nearby. They take the time to get to know one another and that makes all the difference in the world.

An evening walk with the dogs often turns into a long conversation. And when I forget to close the garage door, I can be sure that a neighbor will give me a call.

We are especially lucky to live next to Frank and Pauline Watson. When Pauline and I get to talking, our husbands know that it will be awhile before we will come up for a breath of fresh air.

Frank and Pauline are soothed by the sound of our backyard pond and we are soothed by the fact that we can count on them when we need any help. These two are among a growing number of neighbors who are also our friends.

But Pauline is more than just a neighbor. A person with a great big heart, she decided to get involved with our Sun City Lincoln Hills Neighborhood Watch.

Neighborhood Watch is a multi-layered organization and Pauline fits in at the top and bottom of the pyramid. As a member of the board of directors, she is responsible for several different large villages. As our local mailbox captain, she watches out for her own neighborhood.

Thanks to Pauline, our neighborhood has a well-organized database containing vital contact and health information. Thanks to Pauline, our neighbors act like good neighbors and keep track of one another.

We are lucky to have her as our local leader.

The residents who come together as a neighborhood make up the heart of any community. Our neighborhood has a heart that beats calm and strong.

That is because the heart of our leader beats calm and strong and she possesses an enthusiasm for Neighborhood Watch that is definitely contagious.

– Read more of Eileen Mark’s writings at www.chinmom.-squarespace.com. She can be reached at emarks@aol.com