Keep Singing, Michael 623.1
Every day since 3-year-old Michael was told he was going to have a baby sister he would touch his mommy’s tummy tenderly and sing all the songs he knew to the baby.
Tragically, the baby was born in critical condition, and the doctors said the newborn wouldn’t last through the week. Michael, who was unaware of the crisis, kept insisting he wanted to see his sister and sing to her. Although children weren’t allowed in intensive care, his mother let him come in and sing to her before she passed away.
When the nurse saw Michael in the room, she said, “That child will have to leave.”
Michael’s mom responded firmly, “Not until he sings to his sister.”
Michael didn’t notice all the wires attached to the tiny infant. Touching the outside of the plastic crib, he beamed and began to sing:
“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
You make me happy when skies are gray.
You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you.
Please don’t take my sunshine away.”
Strangely, the baby seemed to respond. Her pulse rate slowed and her breathing became easier. With tears in her eyes, the mother said, “Keep singing, Michael. Keep singing.”
The more he sang, the more the baby relaxed.
Soon even the nurse chimed in, “Keep singing, Michael. Keep singing.”
And Michael did. The baby fell into a calm, healing sleep. Within days, she was well enough to take home.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
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Comments
Every time I hear this message on the radio, it brings out tears. I used to be an elementary teacher and unfortunately this is not part of the curriculum, though I would apply some ideas from character counts into my lesson plan. Keep reminding us that we are humans. Thanks.
Posted by: Joaquin Parada | June 19, 2009 11:14 AM
This can be found on the Character Counts website. I hope these insights--and with them the full integrity and compassionate, communicative power of Michael Josephson--have not been lost.
RESPONSE FROM MICHAEL JOSEPHSON (March 7, 2008)
RE: "Keep Singing, Michael"
Dear Robert:
I appreciate your note concerning my commentary about a little boy singing to his ailing sister.
First, I must confess I was initially tempted to ignore it because I found the tone of your note so off-putting. My impression was that you took a special smug delight in unmasking what you believe was a serious ethical breach. And your conclusion, "Please let me know when he'll be running his correction, as that is the only ethical thing to do here. Remember, character counts!" was particularly self-righteous. I really wish your point could have been made without the negative assumptions and accusations.
Still, once I moved past my defensiveness, I recognized the essential validity of your point about failing to distinguish between verifiably true stories and parables.
It is something I've thought about before, a fact that compounds my guilt. I've simply been sloppy and lazy.
In fact, in a version of the Michael story I broadcast several years ago I included in the written newsletter the following disclaimer: "Variations of this story can be found on many inspirational sites on the Internet. It is originally attributed to Women's Wear Daily, but is, in all likelihood, a parable."
For unknown reasons, we did not reprint the same disclaimer in the newsletter. The point is, I was aware of the fact that at least some listeners and readers would assume the story is true even though I knew it couldn't be verified. What's more, while I cautioned my readers, I said nothing to alert my listeners to the probability that the story is a parable.
Thank you for holding me accountable. Today, I broadcast an apology commentary, titled "Mea Culpa!", which addresses this issue.
Posted by: S Bearman | June 23, 2009 9:12 PM