Make A Difference

When I was a lil girl, my daddy played a song on the piano. I didn't know what the song was. He didn't have music for it or anything, he just played it. I loved it. I'd ask him to play it and just sit and listen. I could hum it pretty well, and that's all I had of the song.

I don't know why it never occurred to me to ask him what the name of the song was.

December 2012 area.... some time around then, I was putting together a play list for the wedding, and was looking for first dance songs. I found the one, and then went off on a tangent just listening to the band over and over again. And I came upon a song. It was the song my dad had played as a young girl.

I realized then that it was the same band that played a song on a CD of mine that got played so much I'm pretty sure there's a groove in the CD from it getting replayed.

What's more, in high school, Julie, a woman who is like unto a sister for me, introduced me to a song of theirs about a girl. She was going to name her daughter after that girl, but it didn't work well with what her last name is currently. She's having a baby girl in a short amount of time, by the way! Congrats, Julie! I decided I'd probably have to name my baby girl that some day.

I made another connection with this band. They played a song that Joseph played on the guitar one fine day in early July.... and I listened to him play it and realized that I loved him. That night I told Brittany about the day, how he played that song and I realized that I loved him... she told him I had to marry him, and I said I would.

And while looking for first dance songs, they played the song which we will play for our first dance as a married couple.

The band made a difference.

The band is The Beatles.

The song my dad played was "With A Little Help From My Friends", the song I played over and over was, of course, what would be a child's favorite song, "Octopus's Garden", the song about the girl, "Eleanor Rigby",  the song Joseph played was "Blackbird", and the song which will play at our wedding, "In My Life."

A beautiful song.

Of all these friends and lovers,

There is no one compares with you.

And these memories lose their meaning

When I think of love as something new.

Though I know I'll never lose affection

For people and things that went before.

I know I'll often stop and think about them.

In my life, I love you more.

There's just one thing I want out of this life. I want to make a difference. I want kids to remember me. It makes me so sad to think that the kids in my class who now run up to me when I walk in the room shouting "Miss Lara! Miss Lara! Miss Lara!" or who fall and run into my arms crying, or who sometimes just give me a hug just because.... it makes me sad to think they won't remember me. I'll be another teacher and that center their parents dropped them off at for 10 hours a day.

One day I asked them if they knew anything about The Beatles. They didn't.

Lightbulb!

If I could teach them about The Beatles, they'll remember the girl who introduced them to one of the most Legen (wait for it) dary bands ever....

So I begun. I'd sing to them "In My Life." I'd sing "Hello, Goodbye", I'd sing "Lady Madonna".... but nothing.

"Miss Lara, sing us a song!"
"Ok friends, remember that band I've been telling you about? They sing a song called Eleanor Rigb-"
"I'M A LITTLE TEA POT SHORT AND STOUT!!!!"

I was losing hope until yesterday.

When I used an idea given to me a few days ago by a friend. Octopus's Garden. Of course. They'd remember that one. It's about an OCTOPUS. It's about visiting an Octopus! They've gotta remember that one!

I started humming it, and a few curious looks shot my way.

Humming turned to singing.

And the kids remember singing.

It was a wonderful day indeed when I left the classroom a noisy mess to catch my bus, but on my way out, a child sat on the pillows by the door with a book singing very quietly, "I like to be... under the sea...."