A mob of choir kids shuffle through the doors of a retirement home in Washington D.C, preparing to sing a concert after hours of sight seeing and travelling. The elderly audience before them doesn't seem to compare in excitement to when they sang at such places as Gettysburg and the Bollings Air Force Base. However, after each song, more and more faces in the crowded room light up to see enthusiastic teens coming to lend a portion of their time to grace these old folks with their singing. Despite the cramped atmosphere, the high ceiling lends a wonderful acoustic effect, enhancing their voices.
For the second half of the program, the choir begins to sing a series of patriotic songs. After nearly an hour of singing, their legs are locking and their voices croaking as they struggle to get the notes out. However, that all changes when they begin to sing an a capella version of, "The Star Spangled Banner". An old man seated in his wheelchair, grasps the arm rests in an attempt to stand. For several moments he hovers over his seat, struggling to stand. The singing children wonder if he is going to give up, yet for the last verse of the song, the man struggles to his feet and stands wobbling for the last verse of the song that honors his country. Some of the teens now have tears in their eyes, and are struggling to sing as much as he struggles to stand. The concert ends, but the story doesn't.
One of the girls approaches the old man to thank him for listening, and she learns that the now feeble man in the wheelchair was once an admiral in the Navy, and each of his three sons served twenty years in the military. As the girl circles the room to thank the residents, she meets a sprightly German woman whose story is equally miraculous. She was a Jew during WWII, and thanks to the Lord her and her family escaped oppression and made it safely to the shores of America. Afterwards, the choir children looked at one another and realize that when a man gives freely, he gains even more. (Proverbs 11:24)
I hope you enjoyed this little anecdote from my spring break adventures, look forward to more stories soon! :)
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The Old Soldier
A mob of choir kids shuffle through the doors of a retirement home in Washington D.C, preparing to sing a concert after hours of sight seeing and travelling. The elderly audience before them doesn't seem to compare in excitement to when they sang at such places as Gettysburg and the Bollings Air Force Base. However, after each song, more and more faces in the crowded room light up to see enthusiastic teens coming to lend a portion of their time to grace these old folks with their singing. Despite the cramped atmosphere, the high ceiling lends a wonderful acoustic effect, enhancing their voices.
For the second half of the program, the choir begins to sing a series of patriotic songs. After nearly an hour of singing, their legs are locking and their voices croaking as they struggle to get the notes out. However, that all changes when they begin to sing an a capella version of, "The Star Spangled Banner". An old man seated in his wheelchair, grasps the arm rests in an attempt to stand. For several moments he hovers over his seat, struggling to stand. The singing children wonder if he is going to give up, yet for the last verse of the song, the man struggles to his feet and stands wobbling for the last verse of the song that honors his country. Some of the teens now have tears in their eyes, and are struggling to sing as much as he struggles to stand. The concert ends, but the story doesn't.
One of the girls approaches the old man to thank him for listening, and she learns that the now feeble man in the wheelchair was once an admiral in the Navy, and each of his three sons served twenty years in the military. As the girl circles the room to thank the residents, she meets a sprightly German woman whose story is equally miraculous. She was a Jew during WWII, and thanks to the Lord her and her family escaped oppression and made it safely to the shores of America. Afterwards, the choir children looked at one another and realize that when a man gives freely, he gains even more. (Proverbs 11:24)
I hope you enjoyed this little anecdote from my spring break adventures, look forward to more stories soon! :)
For the second half of the program, the choir begins to sing a series of patriotic songs. After nearly an hour of singing, their legs are locking and their voices croaking as they struggle to get the notes out. However, that all changes when they begin to sing an a capella version of, "The Star Spangled Banner". An old man seated in his wheelchair, grasps the arm rests in an attempt to stand. For several moments he hovers over his seat, struggling to stand. The singing children wonder if he is going to give up, yet for the last verse of the song, the man struggles to his feet and stands wobbling for the last verse of the song that honors his country. Some of the teens now have tears in their eyes, and are struggling to sing as much as he struggles to stand. The concert ends, but the story doesn't.
One of the girls approaches the old man to thank him for listening, and she learns that the now feeble man in the wheelchair was once an admiral in the Navy, and each of his three sons served twenty years in the military. As the girl circles the room to thank the residents, she meets a sprightly German woman whose story is equally miraculous. She was a Jew during WWII, and thanks to the Lord her and her family escaped oppression and made it safely to the shores of America. Afterwards, the choir children looked at one another and realize that when a man gives freely, he gains even more. (Proverbs 11:24)
I hope you enjoyed this little anecdote from my spring break adventures, look forward to more stories soon! :)
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I loved this story :) It's amazing how people can help each other without even knowing it.
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