My earliest “Song” Memory was my Mother, Mary Jane Reynolds Murphy, singing “You are My Sunshine” to me. This Song was deeply embedded in our Family and was sung on Road Trips with my sisters and Father. It is a song of Love, Comfort and Family. And, I sang it to my children (as best I could, as I am a Metalsmith, NOT a Songstress like my sister, Mike Murphy).
I did a little research into the origin of the song and found it was written by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell and first recorded in 1939. It has become as much of American Culture as “Deep in the Heart of Texas” has become Texas Culture. To read more of the History and Honors of this song, I refer you to this posting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Are_My_Sunshine
The number of recordings, covers and renditions of “You are My Sunshine” has made the song one of the most recognizable songs today, along with an impressive list of Honors.
For ME, the song brings back a rush of memories from childhood along with a tinge of sadness, bringing tears to my eyes as I compose this posting. It takes me back to my Mother and how much I miss her and how much SHE missed by being taken away at the very young age of 54.
Being a Visual Person, and having chosen Metals to make communication with others easier, I created this Charm several years ago which gives me great comfort:
I have come to realize I am not the only person who gets comfort from this Charm. I wish I could give everyone that finds comfort in this phrase one of these Necklaces, but it is just not possible. However, my Heart tells me that what IS possible is to give one of these away every month. I am adding a Contact Form below. Please fill in the information for yourself, then in the Comments Section, tell me the Name and Address of the person to whom you would like to see one of these Necklaces be sent. I will also need the Birth Month of the Memorialized Person and the initial of their First Name. If I receive many responses, I will draw a name each month.
Patricia Riley Metalsmith 