KUM BA YAH

For a very long time I sang the same 3 songs to Jordan (and then Jordan and Spencer) when they were going to bed. It must have begun it origin during the Christmas Holiday Season because they were Christmas songs. But I sang them EVERY night for years.

Only recently have I NOT sung to my children every night. But lately Spencer has been the one for me to tell stories to...."Sneaky and Green," two lovable "helper snakes of the forest." THEY began with a couple make shift toys Jordan thought up YEARS ago. But the stories have lived on forever. Sneaky is a big strong red snake (his origin a foamy type toy with bendable stuff in the middle to shape it) and Green is a little snake (origin a glow in the dark green thing I think my little sister, Nicky, made in Elementary School that Jordan inherited one day while at Grandma's house). Green is an expert story teller and sings to soothe his distraught patients in need.

Throughout the years these 'helper snakes of the forest' have saved many a creature. It has been a fun little tradition for me. But now Green doesn't sing Christmas songs, he sings Kum Ba Yah! It has become Spencer's favorite song....just like "O Holy Night" was Jordan's favorite song. In fact, his FIRST Sunday in Primary coming straight out of Nursery they asked all the new Sunbeams what their favorite songs were so they could sing them in Sharing Time. When Jordan uttered 'O Holy Night' the Primary President chuckled and said, "Why don't you have your mommy sing that to you later today. Let's pick a different one." She called me that afternoon laughing.

Anyhow...I now sing Kum Ba Yah with Spencer and Cody at night sometimes. Tonight we made a fire and when it got dark and we started telling stories "Sneaky and Green" re-appeared. It was fun and when Green began to sing Kum Ba Yah it was heaven on earth to have Kelsey, Cody, and Spencer all join in song with me.

Kum Ba Yah may well be my favorite song now too.