“And so, if you could all humor me,” the hostess, my friend Dot’s mother, was saying, “I’d like it if we could all sing a song before eating.”

As guests, we collectively looked down at the small slips of paper on our plates. There were the words to a song about Joy.

The hostess got a glint in her eye.

“Now, we can either just sing it…or, my phone actually plays the melody.”

“Let’s sing with accompanyment,” Dot suggested, laughing.

So, out came the phone. A call was made, and then the little thing started chirping “Ode To Joy,” and we all sang along.