Every Little Thing
This #thankyouthursday, I am grateful for Every Little Thing, a children’s book based on a Bob Marley song.
Back when I was very pregnant during the early days of the pandemic in 2020, the song “Three Little Birds” brought me a lot of comfort. I expressed gratitude for it then, and I even made a playlist of different versions.
Months later, my sister-in-law’s family gifted my infant son with a related picture book.
Every Little Thing is a modified, illustrated version of “Three Litle Birds,” with added verses that correspond with a child’s experiences throughout the day—in the morning, at recess, after school, at bedtime.
Usually, when we read it, we just say the words. But last night, my no-longer-infant son picked the book for his nightly bedtime story, and I asked him if he wanted me to read or sing. He said, “sing!”
So I sang, and for the first time in a long while, I experienced the comfort of the “Three Little Birds” chorus: Don’t worry / about a thing. Every little thing / is gonna be all right.
I don’t have to worry. Everything—every little thing—will be all right.
My brain tells me otherwise, all the time. But I know the message of Every Little Thing is the truth. And singing it to my kid brought that truth into my body, through my heart, out of my mouth, into his ears.
I am grateful.
Love > fear,
Christina