Such music to my ears

   A hard hitting, forever lasting, cold virus, hit our home this summer. It wasn't the nasty runny nose type. Rather, it was the type that induces coughing, that turns into deep painful coughing, combined with horrible drainage. The cold not only hit me, it flared my asthma. It got to the point that you couldn't talk without being interrupted by coughing. And then came the day that singing was not even an option.

   I always sing to our GRAND children at rest time. I sing while I rock the youngest one to sleep. Then the next youngest gets to climb into my lap. I'm honestly not sure who enjoys it more, me, or the GRAND children.

   But the day came when with a sad heavy heart, I had to tell them I wasn't going to be able to sing today, they just needed to lay nice and quietly and rest. "Why?". "Because I can't stop coughing and I can't breathe right". Very sad sounding okay-s were replied. All was silent for three or four minutes, then with hesitancy in his young voice, just turned four years old Mr. Elliot asked, "Grammie?" "What?" "Can I sing for you?".  My first instinct was to say no. I was quite sure silliness was about to invade the room. But then I looked closer at his little face. There was such sincerity and hopefulness in it, that I just couldn't bear to say no, so I didn't.

    He remained silent for a couple of minutes, but his furrowed brow and look of deep concentration, told me he was running things through in his mind before he started. I smiled at him, partly in anticipation. A couple of more minutes passed and then he started singing. Then I had to fight the tears. His tender heart would think the tears meant he was doing a bad job, or some such. There was no way I wanted him to think that! For one, his voice was so clear and pretty sounding. And for two, his face was still deep in concentration and I didn't want tears to interrupt that. So why the tears?

    First of all, was the love filled sweetness of his voice. Just beautiful I tell you! And then there was the fact that the song he was singing, was one of the songs I sing to them. During the course of the song, it actually became a mixture of three of the songs I sing to them, and occasionally the look on his face, or the momentary hesitation in his voice, clued me into the fact that he knew it wasn't coming out quite right, but I always smiled encouraging and he'd continue on.

    The song(s) he sang, were not just songs I sing to them, but he had picked the ones I've made up and sing about them. I sing it/them all of the way through to first Analyse, then Elliot, then Rylee. And while he might of mixed the songs together, the fact that he knew them word for word, that he sang them with such love and that he included me in the list, my heart was overflowing with thrilledness. My little songs mattered to them and HAD impacted them. Thank-you Lord!

    When he was done, I wanted to hug him and squeeze him and kiss him all up, but I shakily kept my self control and told him how beautifully he sang, how much I had enjoyed it and that I was glad he knew I loved him. With an embarrassed little laugh he had said "Thanks Grammie!"  My heart said "Thank-you Lord, for allowing me to have the privilege of this precious little guy as my GRAND son!!!"

    Then six year old Analyse asked if she could sing. More sweetness! Two year old Ms. Rylee was having nothing doing with waiting for a turn of her own. And while she didn't always pronunciate the words, her melody was spot on and oh so cute! My heart was overflowing with love, gratefulness and all sorts of other GRAND motherly feelings.

    After a bit, silliness did try to poke it's head in, so we returned to silence. But them singing to me for a bit at rest time, became the way we did things, that is until silliness started showing up from the get go.

   I enjoy closing my eyes to again see their sweet loved filled faces and hear their beautiful voices singing my songs of love to them. :-]