lessons and carols

Lessons...
about a culture that finds such joy in Christmas
that their children take to the streets
from the first evening of December,
caroling,
singing,
all month long.

Lessons...
about using ingenuity
to create joyful music with whatever you have.

Lessons...
about the value
of the joy and cheer
on faces of children
who have no Christmas tree,

and who don't anticipate
gifts on Christmas Day

And Carols...
admittedly of widely varying quality,

admittedly so frequent
(as in 6-10 groups each evening)

that we often choose to ignore
the next group at the gate.

Carols...
everything from traditional Visayan songs
to 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing' in rather amusing English
and modern Christian tunes like
'Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart'

...and now, let the poor say 'I am rich
because of what the Lord has done...'
give thanks.

amen.

Carols...
always ending with a hopeful

(and, if it's a group we are ignoring, persistently repeated)

'Advance Merry Chreesmas!'
as a plea for some reward for their efforts.

Carols...
and as we hand them a small treat,
wishing them
Malipayong Pasko,
(Merry Christmas,)
they invariably respond with a final chorus
singing,

"Thank you, Thank you, May the Lord God bless you!"


Lessons...
of giving thanks,
and of acknowledging Him
even in small blessings