Blog 688 – 08.09.2017
(Excerpt from the book, Emily – The Little Girl Who Sang Her Song To Anyone Who Came Along)
Episode 9

Both books of the Christian Bible, Genesis and John begin with the words, “In the beginning.” The next word in Genesis is “God” and John says the same thing only a little more elaborately, “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was with God, the same was in the beginning with God and the word became flesh and dwelt among us.” I am fascinated by words, I love words and enjoy turning a phrase. I fancy myself a poet, a writer, a singer/songwriter and not just a Bible Scholar, I have read the Bible many times and in many English versions even spending three years in a Bible College, but a bible scholar? No, I am not. Bible is a word that means book. I have taken several Spanish classes and was thrilled to learn that the word for library in Spanish is biblioteca as if a library was a discotheque for words.

There is some debate in her family as to whether Emily’s first word was Mama of Dada but there is no disagreement that early on she had quite a command of language. She learned fast that words put to music slip easiest past the critical sentries and linger in our subconscious to come to the surface shaping our thoughts and choices in life.

The advertising folks know this quite well and therefore bombard us constantly with pitches put to music that haunt us and inform our purchases. Why even the great song writer-performer, Barry Manilow, who writing as if he were Music itself wrote and sang “I’ve been alive forever. I wrote the very first song. I put the rhymes and the melody together. I am music. I write the songs.” He also wrote one of the most haunting and successful beer jingle ever, “This one’s for you wherever you go…” He later completed it into a beautiful love song but everyone who knew the jingle first knew it as a love ballad to beer.

Emily had a gift for words and I remember the first time I recognized what a mature and wonderful mind she had. We were on a plane flying back from South Carolina to Texas. Linda, Jay, and I were seated in one row and Emily was seated behind us next to a young woman. Emily was about thirteen and the young woman in her late twenties and a college graduate by her conversation with Emily which I could easily overhear being so close. I was surprised and proud of the way Emily carried her end of the conversation. They spoke at length about the books of Madeline L’Engle which both had read and loved. I first read Wrinkle In Time at Emily’s urging and then every book by that author I could  find.

When I first met Emily’s Toby at the Murray Reunion a year after Emily’s passing I knew right away that he was a “word guy” and I also knew immediately why she loved him, that she had recognized the God spark in him. Emily introduced me on one of her Father’s Day mixed CD’s to the song Fathers Be Good Your Daughters which goes on to say, “cause girls become lovers and turn into mothers so mothers be good to your daughters too.”

Emily had problems with her lady parts and was not able to have children but she had many children as the episode called Emily’s Babies addresses. Em knew that the child in all of us responds to the power of the soothing and encouraging word and grows strong. She also knew that same child recoils from the harsh and critical word and withers or becomes resentful and angry. Remember children are listening to you words and yes even that child inside of you so speak kindly and encouragingly to everyone especially yourself.

Your fellow traveler and Emily’s Dad,
David White