I like how easy it is. Writing a simple song to celebrate someone's birthday or anniversary is a sweet way to honor them. Most people have names and qualities that lend themselves to rhymes, and even those pairings that stretch a vowel unrecognizably are funny. 

It has been my pleasure to compose a few lately, and plug them into the festivities. People are poised to enjoy it, with no interest in finding fault. John is a great harmonizer, and is willing to jump in. 

My first song attempts were for my friends in high school, and while it never occurred to me that any of them would have a shelf life beyond a week, a couple of them have lasted. Wait on the Lord was a present for another girl in the dorm I lived in, and I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes is a remake of a song I wrote for a girl's sixteenth birthday. 

Melodies are just words that would rather dance than walk. With good reason, they vault and tumble with the affection of that moment. Choruses arrive as a stabilizing factor, giving us a familiar place to catch our breath before leaping back into the fray. 

The preschoolers jump at the chance to be part of the lyrics, in The I Like Song, What Do I Do When My Friend is Crying?, and My Old Man's a Sailor. 

Even my mother chose a song as her last message to us. Her gravestone reminds me that she went out warbling. 

"Swing lo, sweet chariot, comin' for to carry me home!"