Sunday, December 27, 2020

JOY
 
About five years ago, my friend, Mary Anne May, suggested that we get a group of singers together — and I would play the piano — and we would travel to nursing homes in the area and encourage the Memory Care patients to get involved in a sing-a-long.
 
We decided to use some of the old tunes that would be remembered from everyone’s youth — like “School Days,” “She’ll be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain,” and “Toot, Toot, Tootsie.”
 
We discovered that the groups really also enjoyed simple rounds like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” and “Frere Jacques.”
 
This reminded me of my younger days when I was a public school music teacher and I spent my days singing with the students.
 
There was no difference between the joy received — either by the young children or the older nursing home folks.
 
I loved the way they loved to sing rounds — as one side of the room would compete with the other side.
 
At these times of joy, we are reminded of the joy brought to the world at the birth of our beloved Jesus.
 
Janice Simon
St. John's Ivyland
820 Almshouse Road
Ivyland, PA 18974
215-357-6998
stjohnsivyland.com
Rev. Brad Leight, Pastor