West Gippsland neighbor's cheeky note before Christmas sparks a heated debate over who is right
A savage note written by a fed-up neighbor in the run-up to Christmas has sparked a heated debate among locals over who is right.
A West Gippsland man posted an image of the harsh letter he received on a rural Victorian community Facebook group.
“Any chance you can mow the lawn and clean up the mess???” the note began
“It's looked great in that hole for a long time lately.”
A man received an angry letter from a neighbor who was upset about the condition of his lawn
The man who shared the note captioned the image with a lengthy comment, including a surprise invitation to take the irate neighbor out for coffee.
“This is a great opportunity to remember that there are people among us who have a lot of hatred and pain in our hearts, and that we live with them every day,” he said.
“Thank you to whoever wrote me this letter, it was a great learning opportunity for my young children to find it so I could teach them that we always need God's grace, and that we live in a fallen world after Genesis 3.
“Please pray for those of us living with mental illness as the Christmas season can be especially difficult for them. God bless'.
He then added: 'PS if you've written this, send me a DM and let's go for coffee and chat. I'd like to help welcome you to the city.'
Many in the local group were shocked by the abrasive tone, rallying in defense of the recipient.
“It's pretty sad that anyone felt the need to write this. Even if they feel the need to say something, there's no need to be rude,” one person said.
'There can be many reasons why the lawn has not been mowed. Maybe go to the front door and find out why. They may need your or someone else's help to rectify the situation.'
The individuals added that Christmas is “one of those times when we can all be a little kinder.”
The local population was divided over whether to side with the recipient or the author of the note
Another mocked the “nice language” and lamented the fact that the man's children had stumbled upon the note.
“What a cowardly question, why don't you go to your neighbor, knock on the door, have a chat with the neighbor and politely ask him to clean up… That was pretty disrespectful,” the person wrote.
Others suggested that the author “must have some manners.”
But some were not so forgiving and seemed to side with the note writer.
“Just mow your lawn, the vacant block next door was at knee height which is unacceptable,” said one.
“I wanted to put a sign on the front that said hay for sale.”
While another suggested to 'just mow the lawn'.
'Simple. Don't think God really has anything to do with it,” they said.