Tony Bennett

When Jack was four, he started singing "Fly Me To The Moon." It's my all-time favorite song and I sang it to him countless times when he was an infant. Later, after he was diagnosed, I sang it over and over, while exaggerating the words, like everything else, to get a reaction from him. It had reached a point I would light my hair on fire, to do just that.

There is a great dvd entitled, "MTV's Tony Bennett Unplugged," and we gave it to Jack for his fifth birthday. Whenever Jack needed soothing, I'd turn on that concert, and instantly he was happy. To my husband's dismay, I never minded playing it a few times a week because Jack hardly asked for anything specifically, and that dvd was an obvious favorite. My husband would beg, "Please, no more Tony Bennett!!!!" but it played on whenever Jack needed to watch it and before I knew it, he actually started to sing along. Some moms of special needs children credit speech therapists for teaching their children language. I have the likes of Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra in my arsenal of therapies to boot.

I first developed a love for those beautiful torch songs when I was a little girl, and my uncles played the old records on Sundays at my grandparents' house in Brooklyn, New York. Mr. Sinatra and Mr. Bennett, also of Italian descent, were heroes and comrades, and we looked up to them, because they could, probably before fame, identify with similar struggles found in our family. Or so we imagined on hot summer nights as we listened outside to the music coming from the open window. I can close my eyes tonight and still hear my grandmother singing the beautiful ballads while she cooked in the kitchen, and it is a cherished memory I will never forget. It is no surprise to me I would grow up and sing my children to sleep with these tunes from my happy memory.

Years later, when Jack became a big fan, my brother attended a dinner in Manhattan hosted by the Young Italian-American Club and the one and only Tony Bennett was the guest of honor. Towards the end of the evening, he managed to break through the crowds and media and told this superstar all about Jack's disability and his love for the music. Touched by the words, and unbeknowst to me at that time, Mr. Bennett took down our address and two weeks later we received a gift I would always treasure.

This kindly gentleman, a renowned singer and painter, actually sent Jack a letter with an autographed picture along with four cds. He wrote, "To Jack, Here is a picture with me and my dog. Keep Smiling. Love, Tony Bennett." He also enclosed a note-card for me, a print of one of his famous paintings.  Inside he wrote, "To Laura, Never give up, I am praying for you. All My Love, Tony Bennett." Jack loved the cds and I have the precious notes tucked away. I look at them now and again and remember how Tony Bennett sent me a letter. I truly wish I could tell my Grandma Josie about it. She'd probably say, "He's a-nice man."

May You Always Recognize The Blessings