Happy, Happy Home!

When we were kids, we loved to sing in church. The children's classes all had songs that were age appropriate. One of them was:

With Jesus in the family,

Happy, happy home,

Happy, happy home,

Happy, happy home.

With Jesus in the family,

Happy, happy home.

Happy, happy home.

You can guess the developmental stage of the children who sang this. (I think we would have been about 2-4 years old). It just happened to be one of my youngest brother's favorite songs. He would belt it out in the car on the way to church and then walk through the house singing it after church. I'm sure it delighted my parents to no end to hear their three-year-old singing so enthusiastically.

When it was time to go to church, we would all get dressed up in our good clothes--special shoes, socks, pants, dresses, and what-have-you--because we only wore our best clothes to church. Then out the door we'd go, pile into the car and drive the six miles off to church with Gerald singing at the top of his lungs.

One day, Mother was in the grocery store shopping and Lenora, the children's class teacher just happened to be shopping there. Somewhere in the course of conversation Lenora told Mother that Gerald had shared some surprising information with her. He had fairly danced into the church classroom and went right up to Lenora.

"Look!" he squealed. "I have on my happy home hoos" pointing to his shoes, "and my happy home hocks!"

Lenora followed his pointing finger down to his freshly polished little black shoes. He squatted down and pulled up one pant leg so she could see his black socks.

"See?"

She nodded, tickled by his excitement.

"I only wear my happy home hocks and happy home hoos to church. Only today." He looked satisfied with himself and as quickly as he had run to her, he turned and sat down in one of the chairs in a semi-circle.

And yes, they sang his song that day.

So whenever I am getting ready for church and I reach for my shoes, I hear his little cheerful voice singing "With Jesus in the family, happy, happy home!" and I put on my hoos and hocks with a grin on my face.