A Christmas Memory
I don't remember how old our middle daughter was when she learned a Dutch song from an elementary school teacher at Christmas time.
We didn't know what the words meant, but we enjoyed listening to her sing the verse as she skipped around the house that year.
We sang many of the familiar holiday tunes in the car as we drove over the mountains that Christmas Eve to celebrate with family at my brother's house in Gig Harbor.
We stopped to have lunch at a little restaurant when the road made us hungry and weary. In passing, I noticed that the pretty young woman who took our dinner requests had an unusual accent. However, we were distracted by our young daughters and entertaining them while we waited for our meal and hadn't chatted with her.
It wasn't too long before the little song was forming once again on the lips of our little singer. She sang it out clear and sweet:
It was not until after she finished the verse that we noticed that our waitress had walked over to our table and was standing close to our daughter. Tears were rolling down her cheeks.
"How do you know this song?" She sniffed.
Our daughter proudly responded, "From my teacher!"
"I am from the Netherlands," the tearful server explained, "and, this is the song I sang so much as a child. You have made me remember my home and how much I miss my family."
Then she asked our daughter to sing it once more time. She got down on her knees and sang the words along with her.
"Oh, thank you!" she exclaimed. "What a wonderful present you have given me today."
Then, she rushed away to get our food.
***
Hope everyone of you get to remember something special this beautiful Christmas season.
We didn't know what the words meant, but we enjoyed listening to her sing the verse as she skipped around the house that year.
We sang many of the familiar holiday tunes in the car as we drove over the mountains that Christmas Eve to celebrate with family at my brother's house in Gig Harbor.
We stopped to have lunch at a little restaurant when the road made us hungry and weary. In passing, I noticed that the pretty young woman who took our dinner requests had an unusual accent. However, we were distracted by our young daughters and entertaining them while we waited for our meal and hadn't chatted with her.
It wasn't too long before the little song was forming once again on the lips of our little singer. She sang it out clear and sweet:
Sinterklaas, kapoentje
Gooi wat in mijn schoentje,
Breng wat in mijn laarsje,
Dank je Sinterklaasje.
It was not until after she finished the verse that we noticed that our waitress had walked over to our table and was standing close to our daughter. Tears were rolling down her cheeks.
"How do you know this song?" She sniffed.
Our daughter proudly responded, "From my teacher!"
"I am from the Netherlands," the tearful server explained, "and, this is the song I sang so much as a child. You have made me remember my home and how much I miss my family."
Then she asked our daughter to sing it once more time. She got down on her knees and sang the words along with her.
"Oh, thank you!" she exclaimed. "What a wonderful present you have given me today."
Then, she rushed away to get our food.
***
Hope everyone of you get to remember something special this beautiful Christmas season.
Comments
Throw something in my shoe,
put some in my boot,
Thank you Sinterklaas.
and thank you, Pamela, for putting something in my heart.
Merry Christmas
PS: kapoentje was possibly just put in the song for rhyming purposes...I think it means ladybug.
Merry Christmas to you Pamela--and all your little singing angels.
I love this.. a random act of kindness it was.
:)
Hope you had a very Merry Christmas.
I know that 2010 holds many memories for you . . . some good, some not as good !
Hoping that 2011 will be a year of good memories for you and yours.
Happy New Year to you and yours!
I am just catching up on your posts !