Teddy bear caroling

If you read my journal entry last Saturday, you know about our annual Christmas caroling (Check out the link if you didn't see it). Tonight was the night and what a night it was! Our small group of seven, carrying four large trash bags filled to overflowing with teddy bears, visited a local care center where we went door to door, asking people if we could come into their rooms and sing a Christmas carol for them. Some of them sang along with us. One man met us at his door, and he was already singing to us; it wasn't a Christmas carol, but my, that gentleman could sing, and he was loving it! Another elderly man, after listening to us sing, "Silent Night, Holy Night...All is calm, all is bright 'Round yon virgin , mother and child...." remarked that he got really interested when he heard us mention virgins. Another pointed to the portrait on his shelf of his wife in her beautiful satin wedding gown, and told us they had been married for 63 and one-half years when she died four years ago. One of the women, as our little group finished singing, told me she was from Germany and she had married an American G.I. during WW II. As soon as she started talking, I knew, because her accent was still strong.

And the teddy bears! Oh, those teddy bears! They were a huge hit. I wish you could have seen the reactions when we handed them a bear. I have some wonderful pictures of these lovely people with their teddy bears. It's too late to post them tonight, but I will post them on my SmugMug site tomorrow and put a link in tomorrow's blip for anyone who wants to see them. Tonight's blip shows Faith on the right and India on the left, with their teddy bears. These two young women work in the memory care unit. With a beaming face, India told us how much she loves her work. Because my sister, who recently passed away, was in the memory care center in her community for the last few months of her life, I was deeply touched to see the sincerity and love with which India deals with the people in her care. It is not an easy job, but she obviously has a gift and passion for it. So these are my Friday Faces for this week. I know it isn't Friday yet, but these beautiful faces are too good to pass by. They were a bonus, and, if I'm really lucky, I may get another one on Friday.