Reflections from Dorothy's Ridge: SPRING BREAK 2016

Navarre Beach, Florida

We're spending Terry's spring break at our favorite vacation destination, Navarre Beach. Even though it's starting out chilly with temperatures in the low 60s and a north wind adding a chill factor, we love it here.

Three Little Fishes

This trip we brought a couple of new rugs to brighten our surroundings. One of them reminded me of a song my mother used to sing to us. The moment I saw it, her voice danced through my head.

Down in the meadow in a little bitty pool
Swam three little fishies and a mama fishie too
"Swim" said the mama fishie, "Swim if you can"
And they swam and they swam all over the dam
Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!
Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!
Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!
And they swam and they swam all over the dam

Call Me Grateful

I’m still singing about little-bitty fishes this morning. When I looked up the song, I found that our version leaves out a verse and mangles some of the lyrics. (See Note)

But I don’t care. As I sing, I hear echoes of my childhood. Am I waxing nostalgic? You bet. Those were good times. But mostly it reminds me of the gift of music my parents instilled in our souls.

Do songs from your childhood sometimes rise up to delight you?

I hope they do. I'd love to hear about them.

I hope you sing today.

And sing, sing your hearts out to God!

Let every detail in your lives—words, actions,

whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus,

thanking God the Father every step of the way.

Col. 3:16b (MSG)

Note: We weren't the only ones who took liberties with the song lyrics. I found some variations among those available online. The original version was written by Saxie Dowell and recorded by Kay Kyser in 1939. You can listen to it and see all the lyrics at Kay Kyser.