By Marit Salveson - Marit@stphr.com

I live in a great neighborhood. The first week of January, I was invited by a neighbor to lunch. She invited 6 other women, all neighbors. We did not all know each other, but all had something in common – our association with the hostess. What made this gathering so unique, in my mind, was that the ages ranged from 20 to 95. Four of the women had grown up in the houses where they currently lived, including the 95 year old hostess. These ladies talked happily about their childhoods spent on our very streets. They were just as interested, however, in hearing about us "newcomers" to the neighborhood. The conversation drifted from the childhood memories to the here and now, from old friends to new.

To me this is what a neighborhood should be. I can only hope that as I "mature" into a more veteran member of this neighborhood (on St. Paul’s west side), I will extend the same welcoming interest to new residents.