Deck the Halls with. . .Radical Love
Deck the Halls with boughs of holly!
Fa la la la la la la la la!
Cheerful carols resounded in the hallways of the nursing home. All decorated in green and red, some friends and I strolled up and down the halls, sticking our heads in doorways, singing and wishing everyone a merry Christmas.
I love meeting the different people at the nursing home, hearing their stories, and interacting with them. One woman in particular cracked me up with her talkativeness and story-telling. As soon as we finished our first song, we did not have time to take a breath before she started talking. "Well I was in a home economics class once, and all we had to do for the final exam was identify this white powder. Well we smelled that powder, and we tasted that powder, and it turned out that it was sugar all along." As abruptly as she began her story, she concluded it, so we broke into another chorus of "Angels We Have Heard On High." Then, as soon as we finished the last line, she started up again. "Did you know one time in home economics class, we had to tell our teacher what this white, snow-looking stuff was? That was all we had to do for our last test in the class. And no one could figure out what it was. Do you know what it was?" We all looked at each other and smiled before we said in unison, "Sugar?" She looked at us with shock in her eyes and said, "No, it was salt!" Our group then busted into a fit of laughter, which blended right into the first note of our next carol.
On another occasion, four of us from the group quietly entered a lady's room and asked her if we could sing for her. She agreed and we sang several Christmas carols with smiles and joy. As we were leaving her room quietly, I heard her gently say, "I love you." I turned my head at the doorway and whispered back to her, "I love you, too."
It was amazing to me how much joy a simple song could bring. Even a smile, a touch on the shoulder, or a "Merry Christmas!" greeting would light up the faces of the residents at the nursing home.
I often feel like I have to do something big to make a real difference. I want to be bold, radical, and daring in my faith and in my giving. But at the nursing home, I realized that there are so many people who don't need something extraordinarily radical this holiday season. Just a smile, a touch, or a word of encouragement can go a long way. I don't want to be so consumed with "being radical" that I miss the opportunities to make a difference in the world right in front of me. And really, that's the most radical lifestyle of all - to live everyday with eyes that actively search for people's needs and a heart that eagerly seeks to meet them with the love of Christ.
Fa la la la la la la la la!
Cheerful carols resounded in the hallways of the nursing home. All decorated in green and red, some friends and I strolled up and down the halls, sticking our heads in doorways, singing and wishing everyone a merry Christmas.
I love meeting the different people at the nursing home, hearing their stories, and interacting with them. One woman in particular cracked me up with her talkativeness and story-telling. As soon as we finished our first song, we did not have time to take a breath before she started talking. "Well I was in a home economics class once, and all we had to do for the final exam was identify this white powder. Well we smelled that powder, and we tasted that powder, and it turned out that it was sugar all along." As abruptly as she began her story, she concluded it, so we broke into another chorus of "Angels We Have Heard On High." Then, as soon as we finished the last line, she started up again. "Did you know one time in home economics class, we had to tell our teacher what this white, snow-looking stuff was? That was all we had to do for our last test in the class. And no one could figure out what it was. Do you know what it was?" We all looked at each other and smiled before we said in unison, "Sugar?" She looked at us with shock in her eyes and said, "No, it was salt!" Our group then busted into a fit of laughter, which blended right into the first note of our next carol.
On another occasion, four of us from the group quietly entered a lady's room and asked her if we could sing for her. She agreed and we sang several Christmas carols with smiles and joy. As we were leaving her room quietly, I heard her gently say, "I love you." I turned my head at the doorway and whispered back to her, "I love you, too."
It was amazing to me how much joy a simple song could bring. Even a smile, a touch on the shoulder, or a "Merry Christmas!" greeting would light up the faces of the residents at the nursing home.
I often feel like I have to do something big to make a real difference. I want to be bold, radical, and daring in my faith and in my giving. But at the nursing home, I realized that there are so many people who don't need something extraordinarily radical this holiday season. Just a smile, a touch, or a word of encouragement can go a long way. I don't want to be so consumed with "being radical" that I miss the opportunities to make a difference in the world right in front of me. And really, that's the most radical lifestyle of all - to live everyday with eyes that actively search for people's needs and a heart that eagerly seeks to meet them with the love of Christ.
Ashli, your blog is so touching! I've been reading yours posts for about an hour now and I absolutely love it. You are so inspiring!
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