This morning I woke up to an invitation from a neighbor (via social media) to our whole apartment community. We were invited to sing hymns from our balconies together, since Germany has suspended church meetings.

Inspired by the viral video of Italians singing out their windows across empty streets, our neighbor invited us to do something similar. I'll admit, I was conflicted a bit about joining. I didn't know all the words and worried it would feel like an awkward performance on my part.

But we gathered on our separate balconies and, as the singing began, I forgot all that. More and more neighbors spilled outside, waving as they joined in. A woman stopped on the sidewalk below us and listened, occasionally wiping her eyes. We ended up with nearly half of the balconies between two buildings filled with neighbors singing hymns together.