Dear Miss Mary Mack,

How do I love you?  Let me count the ways:

1.  When I’m riding in the car and I’m grumpy because my parents kept me out too late at covenant group, the only thing that keeps me from falling apart is Mama singing your beautiful song and rubbing my gums with her finger.

2. When I get a little fussy and fidgety and moody when I’m nursing (just preparing Mama for my teenage years), just a few soft bars of “buttons all down her back” helps me latch right back on and get a lot of milk.

3. When I’m sitting in my Bumpo chair and my mom is kneading bread and just needs me to be happy for five more minutes, I prefer Miss Mary Mack sung loudly with lots of exaggerated facial expressions and kissing sounds thrown in for good measure.  (This applies to all instances in which Mama is basically ignoring me so she can finish something before she picks me up again.)

4.  When my mom is actually holding me and not trying to do anything else (which doesn’t happen often, boo hoo), I like to be standing on her lap while listening to the song and waving my hands around.  It’s pretty fun.

In conclusion, you are my favorite person in the whole world.  Was it worth the fifteen cents to see the elephants?  Were you really happy on the Fourth of July when the elephants finally came back?  And did you ask them what it felt like to touch the sky?  Sometimes my mama wishes I’d never heard your song because she’s more than a bit tired of it but I love you. Please don’t ever leave me.

Love,

Ellie

P.S. This picture is an example of a situation in which I like to hear your song, when Mama has me on the bed so she can do silly things like brush her teeth and get dressed.  I get a little bored so your song helps me to be patient.  I like to cross my legs while I’m waiting.