Christmas caroling at any age
Posted on 10. Dec, 2009 by kchristieh in music, my life, religion
This past weekend I sang Christmas carols at a local nursing home with junior high kids and fellow youth group leaders from our church. I vividly remember doing this with my high school youth group, and I wanted to do what I love and hopefully cheer people up at the same time.
I think they enjoyed our visit; they smiled and thanked us at the end. It was a lot like how I remember it was in high school, but with one exception: it was all I could do not to cry. At least I knew the songs by heart, so when my eyes welled-up it didn’t matter that I couldn’t see the page as easily. I live a life that’s so sheltered from the difficulty and isolation that can accompany aging, and it was overwhelming to see that all of the residents were in wheelchairs, and that some clutched dolls and stuffed animals but still looked so alone.
At first I thought it was because I’m 30 years older than I was in high school. I’m closer to most of these people in age than I am to the junior high kids who sang with us.
But this evening, one of the junior high school girls told me that she’d had a hard time not crying too. And a high school girl told me that she’s surprised at how emotional she gets at times.
So I won’t over-analyze my reaction. I’m grateful for the blessings that allow me not to have to visit or live in a nursing home, and for the people who opened up their lives to us this weekend and allowed us to sing. I don’t know what the next 30 (or 60, or whatever) years hold, but I hope I always appreciate a good Christmas carol.
Next time we’ve got to bring jingle bells…
The dolls to the right remind me of my sister. Not only does she love little dolls like these, but her singing voice is identical to mine. We’re the alto sisters who grew up in NJ but moved to CA. Too bad our voices aren’t super-amazing, because maybe we could take our act on the road. In the meantime, I can’t wait for her to visit so we can sing next to each other on Christmas Eve. :)
Ahhh, but Kathy, think about the joy that you brought to those nursing home residents! It brought them joy, stimulation and a group of kids and adults who cared enough to bring them some Christmas joy.
The only problem is Christmas is the main time they get a lot of attention, and then the rest of the time does get pretty lonely.
We were talking about that afterwards, and thought we might try to go play Bingo sometime.