Do you know all 4 verses of our US national anthem? Nick does. Did you know that there were 4 verses? I think that most people in the US don’t.
You can look it up online. I find the messages of each verse to be inspiring. Contrary to current media coverage of the NFL, this blog post is not written to elicit controversy. It is a cute story about Nick and his singing.
Sometimes I wonder how much Nick understands, especially in social settings or situations that have nuances I have not explained to him. However, as you will see, I too can underestimate the amazing abilities of my son.
In the summer of 1998, we went to Ireland for another visit. While there I decided that I wanted to learn the Irish National anthem “Amhrán na bhFiann.” It was originally composed in English as “A Soldier’s Song.” I had learned it in English, but felt it was more correct to sing in Irish, so I asked a cousin to write the song down phonetically so I could memorize it. During that trip I practiced singing it over and over in the car.
About a week after we got home, we were in the car and Nick said, “Let’s sing.”
This was not unusual as he knows hundreds of Irish songs, patriotic songs, popular songs, rock and roll classic songs, country songs and hymns.
I said, “Go ahead.”
From the back seat I heard, “Oh, say can you see, by the dawns early light…”
Our national anthem. He knows all four verses. When he finished them, without skipping a beat he launched into “Sinne Fianna Fáil”…
He stopped after the first line and with a huge grin on his face asked, “You sing with me mom?”
He was singing the Irish national anthem in Irish. And if that wasn’t amazing enough, he also recognized that it was similar in meaning to our U.S. national anthem. I was so amazed I started crying. I couldn’t sing.
He started over again, “Sinne Fianna Fáil”…, as if to say, Come on Mom, get it together, let’s sing. And sing we did.
Please share this blog if it resonates with you or you know someone who might benefit from it. If you want to get a copy of the book as soon as it is available, click here to sign up.
