FOLLOW THE DANCING BALL!

It was a typical Saturday night. TLW (The Little Woman) and I sat in our living room on the floor, as the wintry evening sky turned black. The smell of a steak was broiling under my nose, and our two little children sat on the big red-carpeted floor along with us, while the music on the record player played.

It was a happy time. This night, like all the previous Saturday nights, the air was filled with Mitch Miller and his old all-time favorites. My daughter Ellen couldn’t speak, but her brother, #1 Son (Anthony) made up for it. I used to think that he talked in his sleep. Then I realized, just like his Mother, he was just finishing up his sentences for the day while falling asleep. The music would begin and Mom, and Anthony would sing along with Mitch and his gang. #1 Son, to this day, knows all the words to all the favorites.

‘Dancing with tears in my eyes’, ‘Silver Moon’, ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’, ‘Poor Butterfly’, then there was a heart-felt rendition by TLW of ‘That’s An Irish Lullaby’ and ‘Mother Machree.’ Then we would pick it up with ‘Baby Face’. We would all sing it to Ellen, and in her way, her baby face and her eyes lit up, and she loved it!

I would lay back and sip my scotch and water (Pre Jack Daniel days) as I remembered the bouncing ball over the crawl at the bottom of the screen on the ‘Sing Along With Mitch Miller’ Show, in my mind.

They were warm days and nights, as we tried to make our children feel the value of a home, and the warmth the Momma exuded. There were no computers, the TV was off and it was just us! We didn’t have time to feel the sorrow for our family, we were too busy making it whole, making it as normal as we could for not only little Ellen, but for all of us. There were days past, and horrible days ahead that made us need the moments we shared together, they were the best!

Please remember DD, and all those that need our hopes and prayers for a recovery.