Make Someone Happy

Well, it's that time of year again. School is drawing to a close and parents are scurrying to end of year picnics, kindergarten graduations, dance recitals and baseball tournaments. It's also a time for children to grow weary of the humdrum school routine. Trust me,as a former parent and teacher,I know of what I speak and there are a few teachers out there who will give me an Amen! right?

Once a week my grandchildren and I observe Neenie Day at my house. Being a grandmother and released from the obligations of parenthood, I am free to express my inner child when we have our time together. I sometimes find myself doing things I'd never have considered as a mom. While I hope I had some fun with my children, it seems I am learning to drop all my inhibitions as a GRANDma. Isn't that why they call us GRAND... we make large fun out of simple things.

Yesterday morning before I rescued my "grands" from another day of school, I found myself repeatedly singing the song from my granddaughter's dance recital. Almost forgot about this dear song, Make Someone Happy, by Jimmy Durante until I peeked inside her dance class one day to watch the practice and nearly had to run for a box of tissues before this grandma dissolved into a puddle. Yes, we are still prone to hormonal puddle parties. Especially when it comes to our grandchildren.

I remember this song from the movie Sleepless in Seattle but I never REALLY listened to the words that closely until I saw my five year old granddaughter on her tiny pink ballet slippers dancing to this somewhat forgotten tune.

So perhaps it was my memories of our family watching with pride from our auditorium seats that brought the tune to mind. And, perhaps singing the tune repeatedly throughout the day catapulted me back to my own childhood days of dance class when this tune might have actually been on the Top Ten tunes. It could have been my granddaughter's excitement when she exclaimed, "Watch me do the River Dance Neenie!" that caused me to lose all sensibility.

She has never had a class in River Dance but was quite sure she knew how to do it. Watching the delighted look on her face and hearing the laughter of her brother as he first watched, then joined in seemed to ignite something inside of me. The next thing I knew I was teaching both my grandson and my granddaughter what I remembered of the "Charleston" and the "Cha Cha Cha." Soon we all were huffing and puffing and dissolved into laughter. I'm quite sure I might have been totally misunderstood by my neighbors had they witnessed the completely hysterical laughter as each of them began making up their own dances and combining the steps of a few. When all was said and done, this grandma felt that warm and tingly feeling of being a kid again.

One of the lines in the song says, "what's the stuff that life is made of?" Hands down it's the times we spend with those we love! Grandmas and grandpas, even moms and dads, sisters and brothers... make someone happy each day. Risk looking undignified for a few moments and cling to those moments when you can make large fun out of simple things. You'll never be happier yourself than when you able to laugh with those you love the most. Make Someone Happy and You Will Be Happy Too!