Musically Inclined

I’m a writer.

Since Mrs. Hainsworth’s grade six class a millennium ago, I’ve authored books, plays, songs, articles, stories and whatever else strikes me.

It’s what I do.

And what my kids saw me do.

It probably shouldn’t be a surprise, then, that most of them are also writers.

Far better than their mother!

A couple of them—one in particular—in addition to composing stories, also composes music.

And that’s where this story starts.

You knew I’d get to it eventually…

In an effort to keep small children quiet during church services, it’s not unusual for parents to bring quiet toys for little hands.

Many also bring paper, pencils and crayons.

Well, I did.

Drawing and colouring is customarily a quiet occupation.

It wasn’t uncommon in the past for a story to be written in the 40 minutes or so of sermonizing. A couple of the kids were pretty good cartoonists, as well.

So when my eldest son’s second youngest sat down between Gramma and Grampa with papers and pen, I really didn’t notice, at first, what she was working on.

You should know, this little girl is five.

“Gramma!” she said in what she fondly considers a whisper.

I looked down.

“Gramma, look!” She held up a sheet of lined paper covered in…figures.

I blinked. Were those…yes. Those were notes. Music notes!

“What are you making?” I asked in a true whisper.

“I’m writing a song for Brother Woolley.”

Just a note: Brother Woolley is the extraordinarily-talented and magnetic and just downright fun leader of the (eighty or so) three-to-eleven-year-olds’ singing time.

Back to my story…

I leaned over, looking more closely.

Sure enough, she had all sorts of notes drawn across the whole page.

She slid another, similar page out from the first one. “I wrote a second verse!”

I couldn’t stop smiling.

Children do what they see their parents do.

She had obviously seen and ‘taken note’.

I’m still smiling.