Caroling...

What do small children, songs, hot chocolate, Bojangles chicken, Pal's hamburgers, Koreans, old people, and all ages in between have in common? 

If you answered a night of Christmas caroling, then you got it!  :)

I think this was our fourth year of caroling with our Sunday School class...we had about 25 people this year turn out to share some joy and cheer with some of our older members from church.  This year was especially fun because the kids have grown up and can actually sing!  They were so excited...even spontaneously erupting into Christmas carols as we walked to the elevator.  One of the adults said, "wow...I'm impressed."  I told him I did my job if they remembered the songs, ha.  

Our children's minister and her husband joined us this year and it's their first Christmas with our church family.  At the end of the night, she commented about how much she enjoyed seeing generations interacting through song and how our group took care of each other's kids and cared for each other in such a loving way.  Here's the thing...we genuinely like each other...we love each other so it's natural that we love and nurture each other's kids.  I've now had almost all of my friend's kids in choir and nursery and I've gotten a chance to KNOW them and to truly love them.  

And I continue to organize these caroling trips, not because I want to torture Chad or just have hot cocoa with my friends...it's because I see  that something so simple brings joy to older people...but more than that, it teaches us to give and to teach our kids that they can give and be a part of making someone else's world a little brighter.  

Are our voices perfect?  No...Do they know all the words?  No...Are we perfect?  Nope...but we were willing and God used us...

Maybe that's the point...willingness to show up...and we are a blessing to someone else...and in turn, we become blessed.