Monday, September 21, 2009

So Today Is Your Birthday

So today is your birthday
That is what I've been told.
What a wonderful feeling
You are one more year old!
On the cake there'll be candles
All lighted for you.
And the whole world is singing.....
Happy Birthday to you!

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday dear loved one!
Happy birthday to you!

I had the tremendous blessing of attending school in a little country school near my home. Most of my elementary years were spent in a double classroom. My grandma was my third and fourth grade teacher. There was a larger majority of girls in our class who just happened to love to sing. Grandma was a very talented musician who took great advantage of her musical class. She taught us so many songs.....We Gather Together, Beautiful Ohio, etc. Thankfully this was small town country living and no one objected to the religious songs we were taught.

Grandma, also, taught us some songs that I don't really know where she had learned them. I sing this little birthday song she taught us to my own students whenever one of them has a birthday. I call it "My Cheesy Little Birthday Song" which, of course, leads into the traditional verse that they all know. It just so happened that I had student who had a birthday today, so I sang it to her. This early in the year, they are just learning the words themselves. What is so sweet, is that, even though they are 10-11 years olds, they love to learn this little song and always want it sung to them.

As soon as I started singing it today, I fully realized today's date. September 21st was Grandma's birthday. She would have been 99 years old today. And, I couldn't help but think of how pleased she would have been to have heard her granddaughter singing it to a new generation of students.

My goodness, it made my heart ache for her. I do miss her so. I miss her humor, her wisdom, her wonderful laughter, her unshakable faith in the Lord, her joy in my successes, and sympathy when I needed that, too.

I am so grateful and thankful that my grandma is in heaven with our Lord and Savior today. I'm grateful for godly grandparents.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

17 Comments:

Blogger Cherdecor said...

What a wonderful post! Mom would have loved to have heard you pass on the birthday song she taught you. She certainly was an admirable person, mother and grandmother. Her faith was amazing!

7:49 PM  
Blogger Just Terrific said...

Thanks, Cherdecor! It kind of "healed" my aching heart to write about Grandma.

4:25 PM  
Blogger Diane@Diane's Place said...

I miss my Mama and Grandma so much, but they left me a lot to remember them by. My Mama especially loved music and taught us girls a lot of songs, some of them nonsense songs but they and the memories they bring back are dear to my heart.

Hope you have a great Friday and weekend, my friend. :o)

Hugs,

Diane

2:00 AM  
Blogger Teresa said...

I just stumbled upon this post and since my birthday is on September 21st I thought you were singing to me...lol...then I read further and your love for your grandma, oh I couldn't have said it better! I miss my grandma so much and she was such a faithful servant of the Lord and knew the Bible inside and out and the entire community knew it. By reading your post this morning, I realizied that even though my parents were not the godly grandparents to my daughter, I could be to my grandkids someday, what an inspiration this post has been and what a great lesson learned today!

11:42 AM  
Blogger Just Terrific said...

I just checked my blog today and was so surprised that there were more comments on it! All 3 of you, Aunt Cheryl, Diane, and Teresa, blessed my heart with your comments more than you'll ever know. Thanks so much!

12:39 PM  
Anonymous MaryS said...

I was googling "So today is your birthday" and came across your blog post. My dad's family sings this on birthdays and the tradition started with his mother. After my parents married and my brother and I were born, the tradition of singing this song passed over to my mom's side of the family too. I think the song originated before the 40's because my dad remembered people singing it to him from the time he was a small child (he was born in 1938). His sister is a retired music teacher who plays the piano while we sing. I think the sheet music she uses was my grandmothers. My SIL heard the song when I was being sung to on my birthday and she has now started the tradition with her 2 elementary age children. I should mention that this tradition started with my grandma in Zanesville Ohio around 1940, spread to my mom's family in Toledo Ohio around 1980, and has now spread to my SIL's family in Michigan.

9:53 PM  
Anonymous LurbyLu said...

My husband's family sings the "chorus" first and the "verse" second, as a separate song. I was searching for the song to post on FB as a Happy Birthday wish for my niece. Nice to know others enjoy this sweet B-day song.

9:50 PM  
Anonymous Lewis Phillips said...

Do you have any idea if there is music available for this song?

11:25 AM  
Blogger Teacher Jules said...

I'd love to find a video of people singing this "today is your birthday...". Our sorority sang it first and then the other "happy birthday to you ". I still write it on each sister's page on their birthday.

12:09 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This song was written by a lady named Ruth Lyons from Cincinnati, Ohio. She was a famous radio & TV personality. Through her many years on the air, she wrote a lot of songs. This was just one of them. She was a really great lady!

1:54 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My mother-in-law sang this song to the whole family, adults, and grandkids (26). She is now 94 and from Springfield, OH. I now sing this to my grandkids.

5:03 PM  
Blogger Philip said...

This is very interesting. My mother and father sang the preface that you note here. They would also sing it to friends and family members. We grew up with it. It came through my mother‘s family: one of her brother-in-law‘s. My wife and I sing it to our children and grandchildren on their birthdays. In fact, we do not sing the traditional Happy Birthday. We sing the preface and people simply love it.

1:36 AM  
Blogger Philip said...

I will add one note. After I sent my previous comment I saw that this blog is from 2010. Perhaps no one will see the following. It is a version of “Today is Your Birthday.“ My wife and I sing it to our daughter-in-law. A rough version but a version from my YouTube channel.
https://youtu.be/P-rNFhsXgoA

1:52 AM  
Blogger RIck said...

This was always sang to each of us by our maternal grandmother.
When she passed her youngest daughter makes it a point no matter where in the world we are , in our birthday she sings this song either in person. By phone or video call.
I am now teaching my own grandchildren this dong as it bring back memories of s beloved grandmother

1:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for posting this! My dad used to sing it every year on my birthday. He couldn’t remember the words and so wouldn’t sing it this year. It’s a precious memory that you’ve just helped me relive

7:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you for posting this. My mom (who passed this January 2023) always sang this on our birthdays. It has always been something very special in our family. Even more now that she is gone. But here in spirit. Today is my sisters birthday and I want to send this special song to her. Thank you CS

11:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yes, this bus the song that Ruth Lyons sang!❤️

11:07 PM  

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