A Brother's Song

(author unknown to me)

Like any good mother, when Karen found  out that another baby was on the way, she did
what she could to help her 3 year old son, Michael, prepare for a new sibling.  They found
out that the new baby is going to be a girl, and  day after day, night after night, Michael sings
to his sister in Mommy's tummy. The pregnancy progresses normally for  Karen, an active member of the Panther Creek  United Methodist church in Morristown, TN. Then the labor pains come.  Every five
minutes.....every minute.  But complications  arise during delivery.  Hours of labor.  Would a
c-section be required? Finally, Michael's little sister is born.  But she is in serious condition.  With siren howling in the  night, the ambulance rushes the infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Mary's  hospital, Knoxville, TN.

          The days inch by.  The little girl gets  worse.  The pediatric specialist tells the
parents, "There is very little hope.  Be prepared for the worst."
           Karen and her husband contact a local  cemetery about a burial plot. They have fixed up
a special room in their home for the new baby and now they plan a funeral.  Michael keeps begging
his parents to let him see his sister.  "I want  to sing to her," he says.

         Week two in intensive care.  It looks as if a funeral will  come before the week is over.  Michael keeps   nagging about singing to his sister but kids are  never allowed in Intensive Care.  But Karen makes
up her mind. She will take Michael whether they  like it or not.  If he doesn't see his sister
now, he may never see her alive. She dresses him in an oversized scrub
suit and marches him into ICU. He looks like a  walking laundry basket, but the head nurse
recognizes him as a child and bellows, "Get that  kid out of here now!  No children are allowed!"

         The mother rises up strong in Karen, and the usually mild-mannered lady glares steel-eyed
into the head nurse's face, her lips a firm line.  "He is not leaving until he sings to his sister!"
  Karen tows Michael to his sister's bedside.  He  gazes at the tiny infant losing the battle to
live. And he begins to sing.  In the pure  hearted voice of a 3 year     old, Michael sings:
         "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,
you make me happy when skies are gray - - -"
        Instantly the baby girl responds.  The   pulse rate becomes  calm and steady.
           Keep on singing, Michael.
           "You'll never know, dear, how much I love
you.  Please don't take my sunshine away- - -"
          The ragged, strained breathing becomes as  smooth as a  kitten's purr.
         Keep on singing, Michael.
           "The other night, dear, as I lay
sleeping, I dreamed I held  you in my arms..."
          Michael's little sister relaxes as rest,  healing rest, seems  to sweep over her.
          Keep on singing, Michael.
          Tears conquer the face of the bossy head  nurse.  Karen glows.
         "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
Please don't take my sunshine away."

Funeral plans are scrapped.   The next day - - - the very next day,  the little girl is well
enough to go home!

Woman's Day magazine called it "the
miracle of a brother's song". The medical staff
just called it a miracle.  Karen called it a
miracle of God's love!