Jesus told me to love my neighbor. Is that telling so hard? Is the walk too far, or the love too interfering?

Jesus also told me to core my life with compassion. Not comparison. Compassion. Not competence, or composure.

Each of my neighbors is gay. The house beside me, the couple behind me and the partners diagonal. Gay. All gay. Yet I had a most enchanting evening with two of them this weekend. It began with gardening banter, but tilled itself into genuine dialogue ranging from deep-seeded fears, to parties themed by Brokeback Mountain. What started on a driveway with two men I barely knew, ended with tears and laughter that barely knew me.

Why am so tempted to judge my neighbors? To avoid their driveway lest they change their ways? To hate.

Jesus told me to love my neighbors. Jesus also told me to core my life with compassion.