“Family is family, and is not determined by marriage certificates, divorce papers, and adoption documents. Families are made in the heart.” - C. JoyBell
Family is a touchy subject for me. The family I was born into was so fraught with violence and undercurrents of resentment, rage, and retribution that I barely escaped. I mention this not to elicit sympathy but to help you understand why choosing to make “We Are Family” the theme for this week made me a little anxious, and why the Braided Lives concept - under which “Pass Along Songs” falls - is so near and dear to my heart.
Braided Lives is all about finding and sharing stories that help us see and celebrate our larger interconnected and interdependent family. That includes the planet as well as other living creatures. I can’t help but wonder what would happen if we approached one another with the assumption that we are all family and that each life within that family is precious. Would we still have racism, homophobia, or ethnic cleansing? Would we still farm animals, lock children in cages, or set the ocean on fire? Somehow inviting other beings into the family fold changes everything, doesn’t it?
So…let’s begin with some songs about children. I confess to never having wanted kids, mostly because I was afraid I’d make a mess of motherhood, but these three songs bring tears to my eyes whenever I hear them. Imagine being wanted and loved so much.
Little Wild One by Joan Osbourne
This song was written while Osbourne was waiting for the birth of her daughter. The whole song sounds like a pact she and her unborn child are making with one another.
Lines: “I need you like the air that I breathe. I need you like the sky and the trees.
I need you like you wouldn't believe. I need you like the sun. Little wild one.”
Child of Mine - Carole King
Carole King has three daughters and one son. I love that she recognizes the gifts they give her by seeing the world in wonderfully different ways.
Lines: “Though you see the world different than me, sometimes I can touch on the wonders that you see.”
Beautiful Boy - John Lennon
Lennon was able to convey so much feeling in his simple lyrics. If you haven’t seen the movie, “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” in which Richard Dreyfus sings an amazing version of this song, go rent it immediately. There is so much love in the repetition of these words in the chorus.
Lines: “Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy.”
So tell me:
What was your childhood like?
Did you have a favorite song that your parents sang to you?
Do you have children?
How did they change your life?
Do you have a particular song or songs to share that express what being a child and/or or a parent were like for you?
Let the discussion begin!
Jena
Copyright 2021 by Jena Ball. All Rights Reserved.