Last night I watched as cars pulled up to the parking lot and saw my Friends for Life friends enter all bundled up in jackets and hats. I was responsible for handing out the Christmas glow lights. I could hear a small choir of singers warming up off in the distance and the slow buildup of chatter among the young adults and some parents who had attended. We had gathered for Carol’s and Coco which was a time for community building and singing a few traditional carols. It was clear that the cold air didn’t dampen the spirit.
As the small choir walked the courtyard, it was clear that it didn’t matter how well you could carry a tune or if you got all the words right. The wonder of it all was that it blended together into a wonderful sound. In between the songs a friend would share a bit of a history of a particular carol. As I sat in the back, I got a sense that life just for a moment seemed normal. For months, friends for life revolved around zoom meetings, personal calls, and text messages. Often our friends would speak of how much they missed each other and our weekly meetings.
As the night neared an end, I was given the task of closing out the night. Normally, I think through what I want to say. Yet, as I watched the flow of joy and excitement through the night, I really felt the need to change what I was going to say. I felt an incredible need to remind each of us that we are dearly loved and that within this group there is an incredible support group that will get us through the rest of the season of the virus and to remind them that we all are friends for life and no virus is going to change that.
I could not help but sit in my car for a few moments because I wanted to remember those few precious moments we shared and how it felt to be normal. Perhaps, we need to pull out and play some of our favorite Christmas songs and feel a bit normal.
Thoughts? E-mail: francisearly@francisearly.com
Go Back To The Blog