“Be.”

Dear Andy,
You’re really into song requests lately. You seem to think that I am some hybrid DJ/Chauffeur with a Spotify account. You kids these days are so spoiled. In my day, we had to rewind the tape and GUESS where we thought our favorite song started. Anyway, you’ve been requesting two of your favorite songs that your Dad and I sing to you at bedtime. “Let it Be” by the Beatles and “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” by Simon and Garfunkel. I got super excited when you first said “Be!” and watched your face beam with satisfaction as I sang your song. You see, raising a child is sometimes like programming a computer. Your dad and I have been trying to download our favorites into your head despite all the Elmo tunes that seem to have pasted themselves there first. But when you said “Be” to me, I knew we were doing something right.
I sing “Let it Be” to you before bed every night. I do this because I believe in the power of both mantra, and the human brain’s ability to recall deeply embedded memories. My hope is that as you drift off to sleep every night, although your knowledge of the English language is currently limited, you will absorb its message of acceptance. “Let it Be” is not a song about passivism or surrender to negative forces. It’s a song about the importance and the wisdom of accepting the things you cannot change. Paul McCartney sings about Mother Mary, who you could interpret as the Virgin Mary, Jesus’ mother, or his own mother who was also named Mary. Regardless, it speaks to the universal wisdom that there will be an answer in time, and that regardless of our efforts to change unpleasant circumstances, sometimes the answer is simply to be. In these moments, we must have faith, we must have courage, and we must yield to the possibility that the experience of life is whole and complete with fear and suffering at the helm. I imagine a time in your life when you need these words, and I’m proud of myself for downloading those files into your partially conscious mind space. I hope they will serve you to know that you are never alone in your suffering. So many people love and cherish this song. Its message is not lost and neither shall you be, my son.
As a side note, I want to say thank you for taking me out of my stressful moments, while pumping gas or thinking of my to do list. You’ll smile at me, with chubby cheeks and newly sprouted teeth and say “Be.” Thank you for the loving reminder. You are the greatest guru that ever was.