It was an ordinary day. Searching through my collection of stories that I have shared with you over the past many years. Came upon a story that I had written quite a few years ago about a visit I had made to Woodcrest Villa to sing in place of my father. Yesterday I was back in the same auditorium listening to a rock concert performed by three very talented musicians. As I sat there, listening to the rock 'n roll music, I looked around the auditorium wondering where I might have been standing when I was singing in the same auditorium many years ago. Wasn't long before I remembered most of that day years ago. Brought chills to me as my memory brought back that day many years ago! The following was my story from years ago when I made that trip to the same auditorium that I now call my home. My wife Carol and I moved to this beautiful retirement community a few months ago and its funny to think that I was once in the same auditorium wondering if I would ever return to this place in the future. Read my story that I wrote many years ago and you will see why it was hard to believe that I was in the same place years ago. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
The "My Solo Was A Sign Of My Future Home" Story
It was an ordinary day. Carol had just placed a call with the admissions director who works in the office at Woodcrest Villa which is a retirement community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. We have been trying to decide if and when we want to become residents of Woodcrest Villa and Carol is calling to ask for a bit more information on the Villa we had toured a week ago. The villa is a two-bedroom, two-bath villa with a garage. Our entire family met us at the villa to take the tour with us. I had cut out paper replicas of our furniture so we could see what pieces of furniture would fit in the villa. The more I talked about Woodcrest Villa the more I realized I had been there in the past, but couldn't remember when and for what reason. Then while scanning a few past stories in my blog it struck me that I had made a visit to Woodcrest years ago. It was on June 21, 2010 that I made a visit to Woodcrest for a Sunday afternoon service in the retirement home's auditorium. Mr. Frank McConnell, organist and choirmaster at St. James Episcopal Church in downtown Lancaster had asked me if I would sing Amazing Grace for the service that June day. The service was offered that afternoon by Molly Solbak, Assistant minister at St. James and Mr. McConnell who was playing the piano in their large auditorium. My father, Paul Woods was the church Bass soloist, but was not able to make the service, so I was filling in for him. Everything went well during the service and it was finally my time to sing. I knew I could never top my dad's beautiful bass voice, but I feel I did a good job in his place. At the time I had no idea that one day, 10 years in the future, I would be getting ready to move into the same retirement community where I had sung. Will anyone remember me when I walk into the auditorium in the near future? Not a chance! I'm sure many who were in attendance at the church service didn't even live at the retirement community 10 years ago and perhaps a few of them who were in attendance aren't with us anymore. But, for me...I'm proud that I still remembered that day 10 years ago when I filled in for my dad at the place that I might call home one day soon. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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