Love You Forever

Our oldest grandchild and first grandson is a grown man, 28 years old and planning his future with his chosen life partner. They are to be married on November 3.

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When we were visiting his mom and dad over Labor Day Weekend, I picked up a little paper back children's book entitled "Love You Forever". I was familiar with the book for it is one of those "must read" to young primary children.

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I opened the cover and on the inside was written this message to his mom and dad:

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Dear Mom & Dad,

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In our youth, time seems like an eternity

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that shall never pass. Then as we grow older,

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it seems only to come like a gentle breeze.

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It wisps by so quickly and in a faint moment it is

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gone. Within these faint moments of time,

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one can see some of the most spectacular sights of a

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lifetime. You have given me something so

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miraculous with your love and understanding.

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You taught me so that I can go out into life and be a

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magnificent dancer.

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Thanks for all your time of showing me the right steps

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to take. So, before this moment blows away, I just want

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to whisper:

I love you forever,

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I'll like you for always,

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As long as I'm living

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my parents you'll be.

This was written in May, 1997, upon his graduation from high school. As far as I know he never had aspirations of being a dancer, so I think what he meant by the reference of 'dance' was that his mom and dad had taught him the skills of making the right steps on his 'dance through life'.

Whatever he meant, I do believe that he will forever love and attend to his parents.

As I was writing this post, I thought of all the young mothers who had very young boys....Queen, Steel Magnolia, Joyful Journey, WeevilMaw, and Wife Wednesday...I hope they have the book to read over and over. If not, the book is very inexpensive and one to cherish for years and years.

I pray that the grandson will pass on the message of "Love You Forever" to his own children.

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This is the story of how a little boy goes through the stages of childhood and becomes a man.
It is also about the enduring nature of parents' love and how it crosses generations.

Love You Forever
by Robert Munsch
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A mother held her new baby
and very slowly rocked him back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
And while she held him, she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
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The baby grew. He grew and he grew and he grew.
He grew until he was two years old,
and he ran all around the house.
He pulled all the books off the shelves.
He pulled all the food out of the refrigerator
and he took his mother's watch and flushed it down the toilet.
Sometimes his mother would say, "this kid is driving me CRAZY!"
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But at night time, when that two-year-old was quiet,
she opened the door to his room,
crawled across the floor,
looked up over the side of his bed;
and if he was really asleep she picked him up
and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.
While she rocked him she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
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The little boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew.
He grew until he was nine years old.
And he never wanted to come in for dinner,
he never wanted to take a bath,
and when grandma visited he always said bad words.
Sometimes his mother wanted to sell him to the zoo!
.
But at night time, when he was asleep,
the mother quietly opened the door to his room,
crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed.
If he was really asleep, she picked up that nine-year-old boy
and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.
And while she rocked him she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
.
The boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew.
He grew until he was a teenager.
He had strange friends and he wore strange clothes
and he listened to strange music.
Sometimes the mother felt like she was in a zoo!
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But at night time, when that teenager was asleep,
the mother opened the door to his room,
crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed.
If he was really asleep she picked up that great big boy
and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.
While she rocked him she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
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That teenager grew. He grew and he grew and he grew.
He grew until he was a grown-up man.
He left home and got a house across town.
But sometimes on dark nights the mother got into her car
and drove across town.
If all the lights in her son's house were out,
she opened his bedroom window,
crawled across the floor,
and looked up over the side of his bed.
If that great big man was really asleep she picked him up
and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.
And while she rocked him she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
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Well, that mother, she got older.
She got older and older and older.
One day she called up her son and said,
"You'd better come see me because I'm very old and sick."
So her son came to see her.
When he came in the door she tried to sing the song.
She sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always...
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But she couldn't finish because she was too old and sick.
The son went to his mother.
He picked her up and rocked her back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
And he sang this song:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my Mommy you'll be.
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When the son came home that night,
he stood for a long time at the top of the stairs.
Then he went into the room where
his very new baby daughter was sleeping.
He picked her up in his arms and very slowly
rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.
And while he rocked her he sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
See: http://www.robertmunsch.com/ )