My Little Son Shine

Happy Birthday, Son!

SOURCE: Various photos of Matthew Midkiff's birthday celebrations; Spokane, Washington. Photographed by Norman J. Midkiff and Miriam Robbins Midkiff, 1994 - 2008. Music video created at www.slide.com: accessed 8 January 2008.

Miriam's Lyrics for Matthew
You are my son shine,
My little son shine,
You make me happy,
When skies are gray (like they are today),
You'll always know, dear,
How much I love you,
'Cause I'll tell you ev'ryday.

I always sang this to Matt early in the morning when he was a baby, toddler, and little boy. Unlike the rest of the family, he was an early riser, and I would sit and cuddle him while trying to wake up with a cup of coffee. My mom used to sing the original lyrics to me, and her dad used to sing them to her, so I suppose this tune is now a family tradition. I didn't like how the original lyrics (credited to Jimmie Davis, Charles Mitchell, and perhaps Paul Rice) say "you'll never know how much I love you," so I changed them to make them personal.