Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set. Proverbs 22:28 NKJV

In the summer of 1981, I threw a sack of kitchen trash over the fence into Mrs. Lopez’ yard.

Not being one of the smartest things I ever did, this little lazy maneuver bought me more trauma and drama than my eleven year-old “hips” had bargained for. I just wanted to get to the swimming pool on time and walking another twenty-five yards to the “dipsty dumpster” was cramping my schedule.

Fences are a necessary part of life. But often they are seen as restriction police aimed at keeping people and their unwanted stuff out (or In Mrs. Lopez’s case, I’m sure she hoped the fence between our yard would have served as such.) Or conversely, they are great for keeping the good stuff in.

Sure, my fence might keep my kids safe in the backyard or my cows off the road. But more important, it is encapsulating memories for my children that will assist them when it’s their turn to build some fences.

And neighbors…well, good ones appreciate and understand, because they are building right along with ya!

So before you go throwing “trash” (or anything else, for that matter) over someone’s fence, wisdom says, “know why it was put up in the first place.”

The ones who built it would sure appreciate it!