Have you ever said, ‘I just want one day to myself?’ I thought that’s what I was going to have on Friday. Then Thursday night I found out our choir had a concert on Friday at one of the local nursing homes. ‘Oh no, I thought.’
After a crazy week including along with the usual housework and writing project, two other concerts, shopping, and a book launch I was organizing for
GROW- UNDER THE SOUTHERN CROSS – an anthology edited by Anne Hamilton and Lyn Hurry and containing a number of Christian writers that included me, the last thing I wanted was to chop into another day. But I’d originally said I’d go, so I went.
Before I went I was able to get my Marriage blog and a few thoughts roughed out i for the next one plus attend to some other bits and pieces.
The choir was down in numbers. We didn’t have any of our guys as some have to work etc. When we started to sing there were not as many people waiting in the chairs as usual. After we started more came in. One man told us he’d heard us he’d heard us from down the hall and so came in his wheelchair to investigate.
We sang a selection of songs including ‘Open Up them Pearly Gates’ and ‘Bless This House,’ along with songs from musicals like Oklahoma and Les Miserables. Several people joined in from the audience. One lady had a good voice, even if she didn’t know all the words. And still the numbers kept swelling as people came to listen.
We also sang things like ‘Love Me with All of Your Heart, and when we sang ‘Love Me Tender’ our man in the wheelchair, who I’d be chatting to earlier, clapped enthusiastically above his head.
I admit I don’t find it easy going into nursing homes. I find them depressing places and greatly admire those who work there. The staff always manages to appear so positive.
It’s sad too to note the absence of those who had been there last time we visited, only a few weeks ago. And you hope that they had faith in the Lord Jesus and one day you’ll see them again in heaven when we are all part of that heavenly choir. What a joyous time that will be!
Meanwhile, here on earth, all my projects like book reviews, proofreading, editing, and writing still got done. But that’s often the way it happens with the Lord, when we do take time out of our busy schedule to help others God somehow manages to stretch the time we have so we don’t miss out and at the same time we are greatly blessed.
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