The Gift of Love

When the kiddos were babies and toddlers I would hum lullabys to them as they drifted off to sleep.  I found that singing the words kept them too distracted and they wouldn't settle.  Favorites included You are my Sunshine; Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star; Old MacDonald had a farm; and tunes from the Sound of Music and Mary Poppins.  Big sis liked the music much more than little man.  He usually told me "stop singing" after a while.  ;)

My favorite tune was actually a song I remembered from church.  I found out recently that the melody is from an old Irish folk tune called "The Water is Wide".  I knew it from The United Methodist Hymnal as #408 "The Gift of Love."  When I hear the tune in church or outside of our house it always makes me think of our bedtime rituals - I either smile or get a bit misty eyed since our "babies" are growing up fast!

Big sis is going through another scared phase and it is taking all the patience we have to deal with it.  She won't enter a single room in the house alone . . . and whether we are patient, encouraging, or down right frustrated it doesn't make a difference.  She still freaks out every moment she is by herself.  This phase comes and goes but it is trying for the family because realistically we have to guide her on how to deal with fears.  This week I have spent extra time talking to her about fear and courage.  Tonight we talked at bedtime and then I sang "The Gift of Love" once again - words and all this time.  I think I did this to remind myself to speak with love since my patience is wearing thin lately.  My favorite line of the song is "Let inward love guide every deed . . .".  I know we will get past this phase and it will probably make several more rounds through our house again. Tonight I just hope that some extra mommy time and a familiar tune will help her through this round ... 

I forget the title of this tune from time to time and have to search for it again.  So I'll document the title and lyrics here just so our kiddos (and myself!) know what I sang/hummed to them all those years :)

The Gift of Love
(Author: Hall Hopson, copyright 1972 Hope Publishing Co)

"1.  Though I may speak with bravest fire,
and have the gift to all inspire,
and have not love, my words are vain,
as sounding brass, and hopeless gain.

2. Though I may give all I possess,
and striving so my love profess,
but not be given by love within,
the profit soon turns strangely thin.

3. Come, Spirit, come, our hearts control,
our spirits long to be made whole.
Let inward love guide every deed;
by this we worship, and are freed."