December 14th
Community Spirit
Penny couldn't sing, nor could she profess to being a good singer. Not since her debut fiasco when she stood up and sang a rude Christmas carol in front of everyone.
But it didn't stop her from memorizing every single word, verse, chorus. Most especially the Twelve days of Christmas.
Each year, when she helped out at the soup kitchen, she was always bombarded with requests to sing this particular song. And each time she politely refused. But they were relentless until she finally gave up.
Taking a deep breath, she started the first line …
On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me…
She needn't have worried, because after that, there followed a whole selection of voices, singing heartily along.
It was hard to believe that these people, who were so down on their luck, could find good cheer in a simple little song. But they did, and it raised a smile.