Over the weekend, something amazing happened in West Reading, Pennsylvania. Last week, doctors told eight year old Laney Brown that she had just two weeks to live. She's been fighting a valiant battle against leukemia but, according to her physicians, this will be her last Christmas.
She was asked if she had any holiday wishes.
She offered two requests. First, she wanted to meet her musical idol, Taylor Swift. On Friday, as news of the little girl's plight spread across the internet, Swift called and the two chatted via Facetime. One down. Her second wish was that, perhaps, a few carolers could come by the house and sing some Christmas songs for her and her family. Saturday night, in the street outside her home, the carolers appeared.
...all 10,000 of them.
West Reading's population is only 4,000 people. Depending on the source, the estimated number of carolers ranges anywhere from from 6-10 thousand. We're not going to nitpick it. Even at the low end, there were more people singing in that street than actually live in the borough.
Merry Christmas, everyone, and God bless Laney Brown.
