Your kids have played together. Both husbands coordinated and erected that wooden fence between your properties and installed a gate between the two yards. This neighbor has been your dearest friend. You have shared raising your children, she gave that great flowering bush out front, and you even shared your family recipes with her. Now they are moving. It is like a part of your family is moving across the country.

You have both said you will stay in touch with each other. You'll write and she'll write. There will be the occasional phone calls back and forth. You want to give her a gift that will have some special meaning of your life together or will continue the closeness you have. Your neighbor also has her hands busy with packing. You want to give her something that will help. So, what do you do you give to your dearest neighbor?

I have a few suggestions. Maybe some of these will be just right.

-If you are better at talking than writing, then stay in touch with phone calls. Purchase a long distance calling card to keep in touch. Find a card with a picture of the plant she gave you, or two houses side by side, or other symbol of your friendship.

-Your neighbor will need to notify everyone of her address change. Pick up a Mail address change packet at the post office and fill out her old and new addresses for her.

-Get a new address book and have all the neighbors add their info it.

-Go through your old photos and put together a picture book of all the times you've shared together.

-As a remembrance of your long lasting friendship, get a plant or small tree for your neighbor to plant in her new yard.

-Find or write a poem of your friendship, type or do calligraphy on to stationery and frame it to be hung in her new home.

-Find a door mat with their last name inscribed on it.

-If your neighbor has a dog, get a new dog tag with his name and new address and phone number.

-Get a pretty box of stationery, stamp each envelope and write your address on each.

-If it's going to be a long trip in the car to their new town, put together a picnic basket with all the goodies that the family likes.

-When they arrive, your neighbors are going to have their hands full with unpacking. Put together a basket of canned meats, cheese, and crackers that will help on a tired night.

-Get gift coupons from national pizza parlors, fast take out places. This will help for the trip and those nights of unpacking.