Darling Boy

Can't get away from Mom!

The first time I heard John Lennon's Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) I thought: How lovely. And I learned all the words.

I would sing it loudly, and with great emotion, whenever I heard it playing.
A few years back it took on a new meaning to me. Of course it would be that way, becoming a mother to a son. It is a natural emotional progression. And the song would make me smile.
And it was added to my iPod, of course, to sing and sing and sing whenever I felt like finding it. Two years ago, next month, it became something entirely different. I would hear it and sing it but I would feel a twinge of fear, almost despair that I would never see my son grow to manhood like John. Of course, it would be my son taken from me, instead of his loss of a mother. And I learned to live with the fear and I learned to enjoy that song again and began to gather pictures to create a video for my darling boy using John's words as my backdrop.

Falling asleep at the parade!

One night last year it began to change again. Every night became something to fear. The sun going down turned to dread and the song makes me cry. I can not sing it loudly, I push back tears. I watch him sleep and I listen for any sound that may warn me a seizure is about to occur. I wake at the slightest sigh, it is like having a newborn again, only this newborn is not crying for hunger, he is screaming before a grand mal. He is beautiful, he is so strong and I watch him sleep. I wait for the time in the night when I rush to his side to comfort him until it is over. And I pray, every night as he drifts to sleep., I pray that this night will be restful for him. He must sleep near us, we have to be there, 'just in case'. Just in case he has one and his lungs forget to expand again, and his heart does not slow down enough, or his tongue gets bitten. This is night time for him and for me. And John's song reaches into my heart more than ever...as I watch him sleep.

Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
Close your eyes,
Have no fear,
The monsters gone,
He's on the run and your daddy's here,
Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,
Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer,
Every day in every way,
It's getting better and better,
Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,
Out on the ocean sailing away,
I can hardly wait,
To see you to come of age,
But I guess we'll both,
Just have to be patient,
Cuz it's a long way to go,
A hard row to hoe,
Yes it's a long way to go,
But in the meantime,
Before you cross the street,
Take my hand,
Life is what happens to you,
While you're busy making other plans,
Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,
Darling,
Darling,
Darling Sean.