Lullabye Legacy

I've mentioned before that if I could, I would sing a solo in Sacrament meeting. I would sing my heart out if I could. . . and I would if I didn't mind making people uncomfortable, which I am sure would happen. People would pretend to be listening intently, they may even smile, but the smile would be a way for them to control their laughter. Really, I am not being humble or fishing for compliments, or any such thing. I know what I can do and singing a solo just isn't it. I got soul, but I can't sing, and that's okay. I remember one time when I was teaching a group of Stars at the time, (four year old primary children). It was our first ward out of college in Sacramento CA. I prepared to sing them a song as a part of the lesson. There they sat in a semi circle, their sweet little faces were reverently watchful as I began to sing the song. When I finished, smiling, all the kids smiled back at me. . .I asked them if they would like me to sing it to them again, to which they responded, shaking their heads, with a resounding, "No" All of them were in agreement. They might have liked the song, but they didn't like me singing it. Which is okay. I love the honesty of children.

But you know what, every night my children want me to sing to them. And I do, unashamedly. I sing my solo and they listen contently. All of my children have been serenaded to sleep as tiny babies and then into their toddlerhood. Every night I get to sing my heart out to my little ones and they love it. They even ask for encores. . .Pure joy for me.




My sweet William, being six, still wants me to sing, and in particular the same song every night. He calls it the flower song "Sing me the flower song." I've mentioned before that I have made attempts to sing other songs and he has flatly refused. I respect a man who knows what he wants and asks for it. . . so I have obliged him these last 6 years.




However, I want to be challenged. I think I have mastered the flower song. In fact I think that I could actually get up in Sacrament and sing that song and actually get away with it. So in my efforts to find other options, I remembered a song by James Taylor called "Close Your Eyes" that I sang to my eldest child, Mitchy the Kid, who is now 18, and I thought that I should try to sing that to William. He liked it. Who wouldn't really.

The next night, William began singing it at the dinner table, and I picked up and started singing with him to help him with the lyrics

Well, the sun is slowly sinking down, and the moon, it surely rises,
And this old world will still be spinning round,
And I Still Love You!

So close your eyes, you can close your eyes, its alright,
I don't know no love songs, and I can't sing the blues anymore
but I can sing this song, and you can sing this song,
when I am gone.

It won't be long before another day,
And we're gonna have a good time,
and no ones gonna take that time away,
and you can stay as long as you like

So close your eyes, you can close your eyes, it's alright,
I don't know no love songs, and I can't sing the blues anymore,
but I can sing this song, and you can sing this song,
when I'm gone.

To which my oldest, who is now a man, and who I swear has never heard that song since he was a baby in his crib, said urgently, "What's that song? No, really, who sings that song? I've heard that song before?" I was astounded by his reaction. We don't have that song on tape, cd, itunes or any such thing, so he has not experienced it recently, that I know of. I smiled as I looked at his reaction and realized it was my singing of that song that he remembered. His urgency to place the song made me realize it was coming from a distant part of his mind, but he wanted to recall it, to bring it back to the fore front, and wouldn't we all want to be able to remember those softly serene moments of security and safety. Wouldn't we all want to recall and relive those times that bring us peace and love. I would imagine it was like seeing a favorite children's book that was read to you as a child. This happens to me when I see illustrations of old books that I had long forgotten. I get this wave of emotion and memory, more than nostalgia, I can't explain it. Some of my fondest memories are of my mother reading to me, especially, chapter books. As the story progressed, we would share the experience together. I smile when I think about it.

That night I got on the internet and began searching other lullabies that I can sing to my kids. I found a great website that plays the melodies of some of the lullabies (something I need)Click here if you want the the site. I have two new ones that I am working on right now: "All Through the Night," and "All The World Loves to Hear Mothers Sing" I need to remind myself of the melodies every night, but gradually these too will be part of my repertoire. These lullabies will sink deep into their sweet souls and hopefully they won't forget them. Hopefully they will remember them and sing them to their babies one day. This is my hope, to create a legacy of lullabies.