COMMENTARY 780.1: Keep Singing, Michael

According to a story in Woman’s Day magazine, every day since Michael found out he was going to have a baby sister, he would touch his mommy’s tummy tenderly and sing all the songs he knew.

Unfortunately, the baby was born in critical condition and the doctors warned that the little girl would not last through the week. Children are not allowed in intensive care but Michael, who was unaware of the crisis, kept insisting he wanted to see his sister and sing to her. In the midst of preparing for a funeral, his mother decided, rules or no rules, Michael would see his sister and sing to her before she passed away.

When the nurse saw Michael she bellowed, “Get that kid out of here. Now!”

The mother said, “Not until he sings to his sister.”

Michael looked at the tiny infant girl and began to sing: “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray; please don’t take my sunshine away.”

As he sang, the baby’s pulse rate slowed and her breathing became easier. With tears in her eyes, the mother said, “Keep singing Michael, keep singing.” And the more Michael sang, the more relaxed the baby became. Even the nurse was overcome by what she was seeing and she whispered, “Keep singing Michael, keep singing.”

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You’ll never know dear, how much I love you; please don’t take my sunshine away.” Soon, the baby fell into a calm, healing sleep. Within days the baby was well enough to take home.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *