All is calm, All is bright!

God calmed my heart this weekend! I was so nervous about going Christmas caroling with our neighbors. I had never been christmas caroling before, so I was not sure what to expect. Of course, most worries don't come to pass. But I was worried that no one would come. I was also worried that people would not want to hear us sing and slam doors in our faces (Jay has had this happen in Philly!). But, whether it was the politeness of 'southerners' or they really did want to hear us sing, we had a great time caroling. We had a little girl get so excited when she saw it was carolers, she went running through the house telling her whole family. She stood there and listened with the biggest, most angelic smile on her face. The way the lamp on her porch was shining down on her, she seemed like an angel. She even brought us cupcakes that the family had obviously made earlier that day! It was a great moment that everyone stopped what they were doing and loved others. We also were able to sing to an elderly woman who looked like she lived alone. She smiled too. It was cool to see people who answered the door initially looking busy and bothered that someone was knocking become relaxed and even smile the whole time. If nothing else, our amatuer group of singers made some people smile. And that was worth it to me!

In our group, the kids made it the most fun. WE had some young girls with us who were SOOOO excited about going. They couldn't wait to go knock on people's doors and jumped around and danced while we sang Jingle Bells. They were delightful. Kids make things so much sweeter!

It was so encouraging to have neighbors in our house again. Some had been there before, some it was their first time. But it was great to connect with those whom we live by every day.

One of the coolest things is that many of those who went with us are followers of Christ. So, it felt like the presence of God was walking with us, especially when we sang Silent Night. People just seem to love that song. It was eerie when we sang "all is calm' because that neighborhood is not one that a person would describe as calm. But for that moment in time, people felt safe enough to open their doors and step out.