OFF WE GO A-CAROLING

I went to visit a friend at a nursing home and as I was leaving, there were car loads of people exiting their vehicles and heading to the building.  I asked, "Are you carolers?" and when they answered that they were, I asked if I could join them. The group was comprised of old, middle-aged, and young people, including one man carrying a baby! I asked how many were in the group and the leader told me 27.  I asked, "Is this your whole congregation?" and one of the women laughed and answered, "Just about!"  In further conversation she told me that her brother was a patient at the nursing home and this was their fifth caroling session for the day!

The pastor asked if I knew my way around the facility. I asked, "Yes, will you please come to sing for my friend?"   He answered that we could go to my friend's room first.  We sang as we walked down the hallway and when we got to my friend's room, one of the songs to be sung was Joy To The World.  One of the women started to hand me a sheet with the lyrics on there.  I said, "Oh, I know all four verses!" She said, "We only have two."

When it was time to sing the third verse, only MY voice rang out:

"No more let sin and sorrow grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground
He comes to make his message known
Far as the curse is found
FAR AS, FAR AS, THE CURSE IS FOUND."

All joined in for the chorus!

I would have gladly sung the fourth verse but the group was easing out of the room.

After we'd finished caroling throughout the facility, one of the women asked me to take a picture of the group; I said that I would try but I am not a good picture-taker!  I told her that I write a daily BLOG and that I am always on the look-out for "an adventure" and this would be my next article!  I said that I wanted a copy of the picture to use with the article. 

The pastor asked me to join them for dinner at Frisch's.  Of course, I was not going to let them pay for my dinner but they insisted;  when I offered him money as a donation to the church, he said to give it to the waitress! I said, "I already left that girl a generous tip!"

I just sent a check in a Christmas card.