As a little girl I grew up in Oregon, where it rained a majority of the time and skies were in fact grey, more days than not. So when my mother sang this song to me as a child, I knew she loved me just as much as I loved the feeling of warmth and happiness those rare sunny days brought us. It’s hard to describe, but the sunshine just made everyone happier.
On those days when I complained to my mom about the rain, she would pick me up, set me upon her lap and wrap me inside her robe with her to warm up. She smelled like a mixture of freshly picked roses and Red Door perfume - a completely unique scent that was my mom. As I cuddled up in her lap she would rock me, softly singing to me, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey, you’ll never know dear how much I love you, please don’t take my sunshine away.” I was her Sunshine, I was what made her happy, in turn her singing this song to me made me feel loved, content, safe and happy… even when skies were grey.
I asked another parent if she sings this song to her children, to which she replied, “Yes, almost every day!” I inquired further asking what the song meant to her, as a mother. She paused, her eyes softened as she reflected on my question, then said, “They are my everything - it's the best way to describe the love that I feel for them.” The question itself made her smile, just thinking about how much she loved her children and the sunshine they bring into her life too.
The song has carried on through decades still, with the same sentiment of the indescribable love parents feel for their children. Gift this to your little one, as a reminder of your love.
