I'll Love You Forever

Altona, Manitoba, is a tiny little town that most people don't know about outside the province. As a little girl, I had the privilege of living there, and my dad worked at a company called Friesens.

Once in a while, he would bring home a book, and I loved days like that. He'd bring in his laptop bag and take out a book, then read it to us after dinner. My favourite book was Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.

Robert Munsch's writing was almost always funny, "Mortimer be quiet" was one of my favourite sayings. I went around for about a week saying it randomly to my mom or sister if she was annoying me. Purple, Green, and Yellow was another favourite because I considered myself an artist in Kindergarten. I wasn't that good but pretending to colour everything was so much fun.

These books brought so much joy into my life and were one of the reasons I started to love reading. I took every opportunity to bring a book with me and read no matter where I went.

The night my dad brought Love You Forever home and pulled me into his lap, I was full of anticipation. He opened the cover and started to read, and I hung on to every word. I realized this book was different from his usual style, and it intrigued me. The way the mother held her son in her arms and rocked him back and forth, she sang, "I'll Love you Forever. I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living my baby you'll be." It had such an emotional impact on me as my dad sang that song to me.

That mother watched him grow up and go to college, and no matter what, she still sang him that song. Even when he was a full-grown man living on his own, that mother loved him so much she drove all the way to his new house to sing it. She was always there for him and loved him so much. By the time we got to the end I was crying when the son lost his mother, but he held his new baby in his arms and sang that song.

I've read that book so many times, and over the years, it has brought up different memories. In a way, it taught me a bit about love. Later on, I learned that Robert Munsch wrote that book because he and his wife had two stillborn babies. Since then, they have adopted three children, and some of his stories are based on them.

My dad passed away four years ago at the age of fifty-six from pancreatic cancer. I held his hand the night before my wedding, and I sang that song to him. Yes, I modified it slightly to say, "my daddy, you'll be", but the sentiment was the same. He was asleep and didn't know I was there to see him, so I didn't wake him because he needed all the strength he could get.

At his funeral, I remembered being on that couch and reading books with him. When we finished reading, he'd walk me down the hall and help me climb onto the top bunk of my bunk bed. I'd roll over onto my stomach, and he'd tickle my back and sing me the Shoo shoo song. My Nan was the one who would sing that to him at night, and he passed it down to me. Both of them are in heaven now, and I hope they are enjoying the view up there. One day I'll see them again, and we can sing together.