The church had a surprisingly large amount of young couples for such a small congregation and I was excited about being a part of it.
That year, the group decided to go Christmas caroling - something I had never done.
Our first stop of the evening was a dear little old lady's house not far from where Jim and I would live when we were married. She lived at the end of a lane surrounded by fields.
We all gathered in her front yard and then someone knocked on her door to let her know we were there. We could plainly see she was sound asleep sitting in a rocker in her front room because she had her drapes open wide.
We knocked and knocked, but she never awoke and came to the door.
Not knowing what to do, one of the girls said, "Let's sing anyway."
And so we did. It was amazing, singing out in the open air in the countryside, not unlike fields where shepherds might have grazed their sheep long ago. We sang of Silent Night and the Little Town of Bethlehem and some more of the old favorites.
Finally we decided it was time to go elsewhere and left the little lady dreaming in her rocking chair.
The next day, someone called to check on her and told her about our caroling trip. She exclaimed, "That's why I heard angel voices singing! I thought maybe Jesus was coming to get me!"
Jesus did come to get her just a short time later. I never did get to meet her in person since she wasn't well enough to come to church; but I'll never forget that special night of Christmas carols sung in the purple twilight.
My prayer for my readers is that Christmas 2019 will contain special memories for each and every one of you.
See you in 2020!
I'm sharing this post with the community at InstaEncouragements Link-Up, and
Grace&Truth
I LOVE caroling, Jerralea! What a treasured memory! And Christmas in Illinois has got to be so much more Christmasey than in Florida. I remember a 6-year period of time when my parents lived in Florida and Christmas just didn't seem like Christmas— you know, people wearing flip flops and shorts... That's not Christmas, is it? LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up at InstaEncouragements!
What a precious, precious memory. I haven't been caroling in about 10 years. I really need to change that! i've always enjoyed it and it was expected of us in my parents Free Methodist church growing up. Because I was a voice minor in college and always in school choirs, etc. I always went along to do the singing of the harmony parts for the Xmas carols. oh i loved those times!! Thanks for the great memory and I hope and trust you had a wonderful Christmas Day.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a LONG time since I've been caroling. I love this story. I've heard some carolers who might make someone wonder exactly where they were ending up. :) Glad y'all were the angelic kind! ha.
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