Caroling for Kerstin

Have you ever seen a more surprised look on a woman's face?! This is my next-door neighbor Kerstin (with her husband), who had the misfortune to fall recently and break her femur. That came on the heels of a hip and shoulder replacement, so suffice it to say she has been through the mill lately.

She is in a rehabilitation hospital and on learning that she wouldn't be home for Christmas, we decided to go and sing carols to her. Planning it with the help of her husband, about nine of us went on Monday. Her room is directly across the hall from a "rec" room, and we assembled there, along with the harpist from our NC Symphony, Anita Burroughs-Price. Anita is a friend of my neighbors, and when she heard what was being planned, she asked to come along. It was incredibly generous of her, and we are all grateful, since her playing made us all sound decidedly better! As we began to sing, Bob wheeled Kerstin across the hall to hear "the carolers", without telling her who it was. The photo above shows how flabbergasted she was to see us!

Here is our group, minus your truly. Santa hats and jingle bells were requested, but not all of us wore them. It didn't matter.













This is Anita. Her small "travel harp" made it rather easy for her to come. She knew all twelve songs by heart and even embellished them quite a bit.

It was most evident that our neighbors enjoyed the caroling and we garnered a few other participants from the hall before we were finished. I had a phone call from Kerstin about 7 pm, thanking me for my part in it. She and her husband were genuinely touched and I explained that we got much more out of it than she did. It showed the true meaning of Christmas; the making time to do something good for someone else, no matter how busy we are. I hope you get a similar opportunity before the season is over. It will make your day! Now, make it a very Merry Christmas.