TAKE YOUR REST

Nobody in the Carroll House would ever be accused of being a "Dead Head." In fact, short of what we're about to say, we neither know nor could we guess the title of a single track from the copious Grateful Dead albums in general circulation. However, thanks to a friend/colleague of ours, we discovered a song that the Dead used to sing at the conclusion of many of their concerts during the late sixties, early seventies, and revived again from 1989-1991. Even better, legend has it that the song was originally sung by a small group of Caribbean monks who sang it at the funeral of one of the brothers of the house. Whether that is true I do not know. What I do know is that the song -- which has become for us a hymn -- has in its own unique way carved a path in the story of our family's life together and we've entered into the singing of it as a ritual to put our dear baby Zoe to bed each night. The words are as follows and are different than how the late Mr. Jerry Garcia used to sing it. We've allowed it to become a part of us and we are a part of it. Zoe takes to it every single time. Though she doesn't yet speak in intelligible English, she knows this song and will always remember it as she lays her head in her parents' loving arms for one of us to sing to her, and she gives up again for another night. Sleeping, she dreams. Waking, she laughs. And life is lived in the in-between.

Lay down my dear Zoe, lay down and take your rest
Oh won't you lay your head upon your Savior's breast
I love you, oh but Jesus loves you the best
And I bid you goodnight, goodnight, goodnight

Lay down my dear Zoe, lay down and take your rest
Oh won't you lay your head upon your Daddy's chest
I love you, oh but Mommy loves you the best
And I bid you goodnight, goodnight, goodnight

...and I bid you goodnight, goodnight, goodnight.

(If only you could hear it -- how beautiful the melody, how soothing the rhythm, how sweet she sighs as she lays her head down and goes to sleep. Goodnights lead to Good Mornings, and life makes perfect sense every single time.)