My precious niece, Harvest, recently fell asleep on my chest and I melted over how wonderful she is. 😌
Lullabies drifted into our ears. Not just an lullabies. Lily lullabies. The Jewel "Lullaby" album that I've written about many times before. One of my favorite pregnancy memories was listening to this album and how Lily would dance in my belly more than she ever did at any other time.
My sweet girl's perfectly formed little ears knew the tunes that now carry my niece into dreamland.
I can't listen to these tunes without tears welling up in my eyes over achingly beautiful memories. Wishing with all my heart I could have held Lily while she fell fast asleep to the same CD, as I do now with my niece. Smiling with knowing that though my arms did not, my womb did hold her, soothe her, comfort her, while she enjoyed these songs that became familiar to her. A love for this album is something these two cousins share and that is very special.
🎶 My love is as true as the oceans are blue,
and I always feel this way.
Just listen to the beating that keeps repeating.
My heart wants to say
Like Gala and Dali, it's you and me,
Forever and a day.
Forever and a day,
Always 🎶
~From "Forever and a Day," which is mine and Lily's song, which just so happens to be 3 minutes and 16 seconds long for my little girl born on 3-16. ❤️
Yesterday my mom was telling me how my niece wouldn't take a nap alone in her crib and was throwing a bit of a fit, but as soon as she picked her up and played the Jewel "Lullaby" CD, it made her fall fast asleep in her arms. 😴
This CD is sacred to me. Lily's perfect little ears knew these songs. 🎶 I got the CD while I was pregnant and some of my most treasured memories are of Lily squirming around wildly to this music. Lily's cousin obviously loves it like she did. Babies literally know music in the womb and she knew this album. This album that is symbolic of my pregnancy, and all my hopes and dreams for Lily's life, of my anticipating holding her after she was born and finally playing it for on the outside of the womb.
For a long time, I didn't want to share it with anyone. That might sound crazy, but it felt so Lily, so very precious to my heart. Then my perspective shifted and I now look at sharing these tunes as a way of sharing my girl... I have gifted multiple people with it, and everyone loves it. It touches my heart when people say that it reminds them of Lily.
I got a copy for my niece for Christmas. A few days ago, my sister-in-law was trying to get my niece to settle down for a nap while I was over, and she was going to play the CD. She asked first it that was okay. She knows what the CD means to me. I thought that was thoughtful of her. At first, I thought it would be okay... but a couple songs it, I realized it wasn't. Especially in March. I feel like I need privacy when listening to these songs because of the emotions that well up.
So back to the story from yesterday... I told my mom that I hope this album will always make her think of Lily. She said it does and it will. She told me that as she was listening to the bittersweet lullabies yesterday, she was crying so hard for her first-born granddaughter while holding her second. Remembering the little ears that knew and loved the very songs that were putting new little ears to sleep. 💤
We miss you, so, so much, Lily girl. 💕😢
Here is one of the songs from the album... I've got this one on repeat today.
I know I've shared before about how special the Jewel "Lullaby" CD is to me. My mom gave it to me when I was carrying Lily. I was filled with excitement when I thought of playing it for her once she was born, dreaming of rocking her while nursing and listening to these tunes that would cause her to drift off to sleep.
One of the most precious memories from when Lily was here was when I was driving over to a friend's house for a visit one day and had the CD turned up loud for my 30-minute drive. Lily moved so happily and wildly in my belly to this music! She loved it. Babies enjoy music in the womb and oftentimes remember it after they are born. I bet Lily would still love it to this day.
I love listening to the CD now, knowing Lily heard it with her own two perfect little ears.
My favorite song on the album, what I call mine and Lily's song, is "Forever and a Day." That song is 3 minutes and 16 seconds (3:16, like Lily's birthday). I've written about that song before. I even considered getting "Forever and a Day" on Lily's stone. I did get the phrase inscribed on a locket for her.
Anyways, another favorite of mine from the album is called "Sov Gott." It's a Swedish lullaby that Jewel wrote in the early 90s. According to her website: "The song was originally conceived during a road trip from San Francisco to Colorado when Jewel was 17. To help pass the time constructively, she decided to have her traveling companion teach her some rudimentary Swedish, starting with the alphabet and random words and phrases that interested her. When she learned several words and phrases (kiss, dolphin, wolf, sleep well and I love you for all time), she began writing a new song utilizing what she learned as the lyrics. The result was "Sov Gott," a simple fable where a dolphin has the misfortune to fall in love with a wolf."
Jewel said this about it: "The ill-fated love can never be realized by the animals from two different worlds, so each night they decide to meet at sunset, and wish each other good night and sleep well, and they kiss (OK, touch noses) at the shoreline, declaring eternal love. After they meet at sunset and touch, they also proclaim that tomorrow, "morning wakens when we kiss."
Here are the Swedish lyrics translated to English:
Sleep well, beautiful dolphin
Sweet dreams, my white wolf
We have love for each other
For each other
Forever
Sleep well, beautiful dolphin
Sweet dreams, my white wolf
We have love for each other
For each other
Forever
Sweet dreams
Sweet dreams, my white wolf
The morning wake up
Then we kiss
We kiss, kiss us,
Sweet dreams
Sleep well, forever
Sleep well, beautiful dolphin
Sweet dreams, my white wolf
We have love for each other
For each other, forever
Sweet dreams
Sweet dreams, my white wolf
The morning wake up
When we kiss,
When we kiss, forever,
When we kiss, forever
Sweet dreams
Sweet dreams
Sweet dreams
It is amazing that such simple lyrics written out of her elementary knowledge of Swedish can produce such a breathtakingly beautiful lullaby. This song, oh this song makes me ache for my Lily girl.
When I looked up the lyrics, I was struck that in a roundabout way, it describes our mother-daughter relationship. The dolphin and wolf were from two different worlds and could not be together. Lily and I are essentially in two different worlds right now, me in the temporal world, and she in the Heavenly and eternal one. We cannot be together right now either, though I long for us to be. For now, I too must declare my eternal love and tell her to "sleep well," only not forever as the song says, but rather the rest of my Earthly days. She is only asleep to this world, but always alive in Jesus. Now dolphins remind me of my girl.
Here is the song (email subscribers click here to listen).
I know I've shared before about how special the Jewel "Lullaby" CD is to me. My mom gave it to me when I was carrying Lily. I was filled with excitement when I thought of playing it for her once she was born, dreaming of rocking her while nursing and listening to these tunes that would cause her to drift off to sleep.
One of the most precious memories from when Lily was here was when I was driving over to a friend's house for a visit one day and had the CD turned up loud for my 30-minute drive. Lily moved so happily and wildly in my belly to this music! She loved it. Babies enjoy music in the womb and oftentimes remember it after they are born. I bet Lily would still love it to this day.
I love listening to the CD now, knowing Lily heard it with her own two perfect little ears.
My favorite song on the album, what I call mine and Lily's song, is "Forever and a Day." That song is 3 minutes and 16 seconds (3:16, like Lily's birthday). I've written about that song before. I even considered getting "Forever and a Day" on Lily's stone. I did get the phrase inscribed on a locket for her.
Anyways, another favorite of mine from the album is called "Sov Gott." It's a Swedish lullaby that Jewel wrote in the early 90s. According to her website: "The song was originally conceived during a road trip from San Francisco to Colorado when Jewel was 17. To help pass the time constructively, she decided to have her traveling companion teach her some rudimentary Swedish, starting with the alphabet and random words and phrases that interested her. When she learned several words and phrases (kiss, dolphin, wolf, sleep well and I love you for all time), she began writing a new song utilizing what she learned as the lyrics. The result was "Sov Gott," a simple fable where a dolphin has the misfortune to fall in love with a wolf."
Jewel said this about it: "The ill-fated love can never be realized by the animals from two different worlds, so each night they decide to meet at sunset, and wish each other good night and sleep well, and they kiss (OK, touch noses) at the shoreline, declaring eternal love. After they meet at sunset and touch, they also proclaim that tomorrow, "morning wakens when we kiss."
Here are the Swedish lyrics translated to English:
Sleep well, beautiful dolphin
Sweet dreams, my white wolf
We have love for each other
For each other
Forever
Sleep well, beautiful dolphin
Sweet dreams, my white wolf
We have love for each other
For each other
Forever
Sweet dreams
Sweet dreams, my white wolf
The morning wake up
Then we kiss
We kiss, kiss us,
Sweet dreams
Sleep well, forever
Sleep well, beautiful dolphin
Sweet dreams, my white wolf
We have love for each other
For each other, forever
Sweet dreams
Sweet dreams, my white wolf
The morning wake up
When we kiss,
When we kiss, forever,
When we kiss, forever
Sweet dreams
Sweet dreams
Sweet dreams
It is amazing that such simple lyrics written out of her elementary knowledge of Swedish can produce such a breathtakingly beautiful lullaby. This song, oh this song makes me ache for my Lily girl.
When I looked up the lyrics, I was struck that in a roundabout way, it describes our mother-daughter relationship. The dolphin and wolf were from two different worlds and could not be together. Lily and I are essentially in two different worlds right now, me in the temporal world, and she in the Heavenly and eternal one. We cannot be together right now either, though I long for us to be. For now, I too must declare my eternal love and tell her to "sleep well," only not forever as the song says, but rather the rest of my Earthly days. She is only asleep to this world, but always alive in Jesus. Now dolphins remind me of my girl.
Here is the song (email subscribers click here to listen).
