Just the other day, on a rainy afternoon, my wife and I were pulling into the driveway after our trip to the beach when we noticed our neighbors had a visitor.

We didn’t know if the person visiting was a family, friend, or colleague from work, but we both had seen the car previously.

We noticed this was their second or third visitor for the past week.

First was the grandfather from Pennsylvania, who came by for a few days.

Next was another family member from about an hour down the road.

My wife and I looked at each other and commented that it was beautiful that our neighbors had these visitors especially with the impending delivery of their second son.

We also noticed that the neighbors around us had visitors parked in their driveways, either coming by to say hi or staying for a couple of days.

Sometimes, the driveways are full of cars owned by family members who, let’s say, stay permanently at their homes.

Family members include grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, or cousin.

We look at each other and wonder what it would be like to have a house full of people and how exciting it is to have ongoing conversations throughout the day.

The chance of boredom to exist will be slim to none.

Then our thoughts are, “What would it be like to have no one in the house?” “A world without visitors!”

This is what we have been going through for the past few years,

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are times we will use the silence to our advantage, especially when we are writing, working on our projects, or just reading, but

Having a lonely house is hard to take.

This is what we are living through.

It has been a long time since we had someone come and visit us.

It has been nearly a year since our daughter and her family came to spend a few days together.

However, ever since they left, the only knocks on our door were either from salespeople trying to sell us solar panels, prank knocks from the local kids, or contractors letting us know the work was finished.

We get to the point where we wonder, if something tragic happens to both of us, how long it will be until we are discovered. Days? Weeks? Months?

Because not only is our door silent, but also our phones, mailboxes, and other forms of communication.

Now, I know that this may sound like a woe, but I feel lonely, and I hope that someone will feel sorry for me and that I will get attention.

A long way from me, as mentioned above, having silence can sometimes be advantageous.

This is a cry out for those who have not had a single visitor, received a single call, or received a single card or letter in the mail for many months to years.

Even though these individuals may look strong on the outside, they are suffering on the inside.

If you know anyone like this, please tell them you are thinking about them.

Go ahead, knock on their door, give them a call, send them a text, or even DM them on social media.

Just say hi and tell them that you are thinking about them!