The little things don't mean alot, they mean everything.
As I was driving to work on Monday morning I heard someone on the radio say that. Didn't think much about it. Throughout the week though it's proven itself to be true several times. Most recently, last night.
We went caroling with a group from church at Lawman's request. He thought it would be a good Christmas activity for us to do as a family. He was right.
Several that we sang for were elderly folks that are homebound so a visit from anyone means a lot. We sang to a group at a care home. And our last stop was a family (18 children) that lost their mother last spring.
The first lady we sang for got teary-eyed which meant I got choked up too and could barely get through the first verse of Silent Night. Alison got choked up too. Good thing Lawman and Madison didn't notice so they could carry the tune. Our youth pastor spoke to her before we left; don't know what was said but I'm sure this lady very much appreciated our group's visit to her door.
At the care home there was a gentleman that appeared to be much younger than the average citizen there and Alison noticed he had tears streaming down his cheeks. Don't know what his story is but he probably never expected that his life would be like this.
Our last stop was the home of a family that has 18 kids. Most have left the home, married and have their own families. There are just 2 or 3 left at home. They are a wonderful family. A couple of their daughters babysat for our girls when they were younger and the youngest boy is in Madison's class. One of the older boys answered the door. I know he was glad to be able to close the door as it was obvious that he was trying hard to keep his composure.
Our small gesture of singing Christmas carols meant so much to everyone we sang for. All in different circumstances. All have a different story to tell. All appreciated a group of strangers singing for them. It meant that someone had thought about them, cared about them.
The little things don't mean alot, they mean everything.
It's not too late to do something for someone else this holiday season. A hello. A phone call. A plate of food for a homebound neighbor. That's what the season is about ~ spreading the love. A little gesture would be sufficient.
6 comments:
I've said I don't really like Christmas music, and I don't really like caroling either. (Uh, hello, cold *and* Christmas music!) We have gone a few times with different groups, though, and it was a very rewarding experience each time. Once was when Jo was a Brownie and I was the co-leader for the troop. The other leader and her family really wanted to take the girls and their families caroling. We went to a rough neighborhood on the north side of Wichita. (The other leader's husband was a mail carrier and it was on his route.) One of the stops was some sort of rent controlled apartment complex where a lot of older and disabled folks lived. After that we went to the houses my co-leader's dh knew would be safe. I'm pretty sure they don't get a lot of carolers in that neighborhood and likely not groups of little white girls and their families. Each person was so surprised and so blessed that we came to sing at their door. It didn't matter that we couldn't sing well and didn't know all the words, just that we took the time to come sing to them.
I remember you telling me about that family. Your story will be such a good Christmas memory for years to come. Merry Christmas to you my friend!
Now I'm teary eyed...what a good experience for you and your family. Especially with the older folks...they tend to get forgotten. xoxoxo
Tears welling up here too. What a wonderful gift to give.. Merry Christmas!
What a difference something so simple has made to many this Christmas. If every person did something to make a difference what a beautiful world we would live in.
I bawled when my mom told me over the phone that the choir at their church showed up the other night and sang carols to them...Dane could not understand why I got so emotional about it (go figure!)...I think it was because I'm used to my parents being the ones doing things for others, and it's hard to accept that they are now the ones needing help and needing to be cheered up!
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