Joy's Song

This post is in honor of Mother's Day. I wrote this little story a long time ago. It was part of a talk I gave at a mother-daughter event that our church held. My mom was there, as was at least one of my daughters. I deeply miss those days when Mom was as close as a phone call and a delightful presence in our earthly journey, but that, I guess, is another story. What is written below is just a made-up story, but it does illustrate the legacy we moms can give our children. The beautiful and scary thing about mothering is that it is never the same thing any two days in a row, nor is it the same thing for any two moms. Sing your unique lullaby/marching song/fight song loudly and proudly, changing it as you and your child grow together. To all the wonderful moms I know and have known, I wish you a joy-filled Mother's Day!

Joy's Song

 Once upon a time in a land not-so-far away, there lived a young woman who was expecting her first child.  She loved that child growing within her and couldn't help but hum a little tune as she patted her growing stomach.  When the time finally arrived for the baby to be born, the woman was not prepared for the all-encompassing joy she felt when she held her tiny daughter in her arms.  She and her husband named their daughter Joy, for all the joy she brought them just by being herself.  Mother loved Joy.  Many times, even when Joy was wide awake, Mother found herself adding words to that tune she had hummed and singing a special lullaby to her little darling.  The song went straight from Mother's heart to Joy's.  Joy cooed and smiled, and Mother felt as though her heart might burst at any moment.

Joy changed, and Joy grew into a lively two-year-old.  She rarely had time to sit for lullabies.  Mother felt a new protectiveness and responsibility for her little girl, and she found that the special song they had shared as a lullaby changed as well.  It became a marching song.  Together, they sang and marched and marched and sang around and around and around the house, landing in a giggling heap on the floor at song's end.  It was an indescribable feeling to mean so much to each other.

Joy changed, and Joy grew into a five-year-old, ready for school and some independence.  Mother was delighted at Joy's caring heart and generous spirit.  Joy bounced everywhere she went.  Mother found that the special song could no longer only be sung; it longed for instrumental accompaniment.  Joy was exceptionally good with all percussion instruments and enthusiastically added rhythms to the song.  Mother smiled and told Joy what an incredible musician she was.  Joy beamed and stood still for a moment - long enough to give Mother one humongous hug!

Joy changed, and Joy grew into a shy and slightly insecure thirteen-year-old, with braces on her teeth and a few pimples on her face.  Mother felt Joy tug at her heart as she demanded new responsibilities and separation.  Once in a while, though, when none of her friends were around, Joy would blend her voice with Mother's in an upbeat version of their song.  They would both dance and sing as loudly as they could.  When Father occasionally caught a glimpse of their antics, he just rolled his eyes, shook his head and left the room.  Joy felt security and comfort in their song, and Mother felt a connection that could not be severed.

Joy changed, and Joy grew into a confident eighteen-year-old, with her high school diploma in one hand and her college registration materials in the other.  Mother felt a mixture of disbelief and tremendous pride.  Joy's first step toward physical separation from Mother was imminent.  Mother's eyes filled with tears from time to time, as she thought of changes gone by and changes yet-to-come.  As Joy packed her priceless belongings in preparation for her move to the college dormitory, she and Mother sang their song once more.  It had become a fight song, full of spirit and energy.  They laughed, embraced, and cried as Joy began her journey away from home.

Joy changed, and Joy grew into a college graduate who was engaged to be married soon.  As the wedding day was upon them, Mother helped with last minute preparations and calmed Joy's occasionally over-stimulated nerves.  Joy felt like reminiscing, so they sang their old marching song at the wedding rehearsal as Father practiced walking her down the aisle.  Father rolled his eyes and shook his head, but Mother and Joy both noticed the tears in the corners of his eyes.  Joy married one of the two most wonderful men in the world and moved to a community not too far from her old home with Mother and Father.

Joy changed, and Joy grew, and soon she was expecting her own first child.  When Mother heard that Joy was about to have her baby, she busily wrapped a precious gift she had been saving for this moment.  She brought this gift to the hospital when she visited Joy and first met the new granddaughter.  Joy opened the gift excitedly, expecting to see something pink and frilly.  Instead, she found an intricately carved music box.  When she opened it, she heard a tune as familiar to her as breathing.  It was at once her childhood and her legacy and had grown to be a song with beautiful, deep orchestration.  Mother and Grandmother, together, began to sing the lullaby once more.