My Child Is 40 Today

There is a line in one of our favorite movies, "The Patriot," where Heath Ledger is arguing with his father about being too young to join the military during the Revolutionary War.  He says to his movie father, Mel Gibson, "I'm not a child."  To which Mel strongly responds, "You're my child."

 

My child is 40 today.   OK, the number 40 and the word, "child," may not necessarily go together, but like Mel said, your child is your child no matter how old they are.  

 

But Jenna wasn't always 40.   At one point, Jenna was that little girl with the red scalp and the "duck tail" piece of hair at the back of her neck.   "Isn't he cute," old ladies would say at the grocery store. 

She was the little girl who used to call fish, "she-shes."

And she was the baby in the "pumpkin seat" who used to laugh hysterically when Fritz and I played cards and we would split and shuffle the cards so they made a cracking sound.

She was the toddler who used to call me, "Muzzer," as in my mother telling her,   "wait till your mother gets home...."

But, mostly,  I remember the little girl who liked to sing. 

One of her favorite songs was "Sunrise/Sunset," from "Fiddler on the Roof." I can remember clearly her standing and singing,

Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?
 
I don't remember grown older
When did they?
 
And then, her favorite part...
 
"Some rise, some sit."

And at that point, she would rise or sit down, depending on where she was in the song.   I can't listen to that song without singing...."some rise, some sit."

Another favorite was from "Annie."  Jenna loved the song, "Tomorrow," and would sing it joyfully.
 
The sun will come out tomorrow
 
Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there'll be some,
 
Just thinkin' about tomorrow, clears away the cow webs and the sorrow, til there's numb.  

But my favorite song was one we sang in a church program when Jenna was really, really little.  To me, this song summed up our early life after Bill died:

You and me against the world,
Sometimes it feels like you and me against the world.
When all the other turn their backs and walk away,
You can count on me to stay.

Remember when the circus came to town
And you were frightened by the clown,
Wasn't it nice to be around someone that you knew
Someone who was big and strong and looking out for you.

You and me against the world, sometimes it feels like you and me against the world

And for all the times we've cried, I always felt that God was on our side.

And when one of us is gone,
And one of us is left to carry on,

Then remembering will have to do,

Our memories alone will get us through

Think about the days of me and you,

You and me against the world

(Voice of a young child....)   Sing it again, Mommy

No matter how many times I sang that song to her, she always said, "sing it again, Mommy." 

 

My child is 40 today.  She is a wonderful wife and mother, creative, determined and focused on the well being of her family. 

 

WOW....my child is 40 today.