This song is a personal favorite of mine, dear to my heart and soul. It belongs to my sister and I.
Growing up, I felt a sense of paternal protectiveness toward her—she was my little baby doll while I was still a child myself. Like all siblings, we bickered. I pushed her away at times, wouldn’t let her tag along with my friends, embarrassed in ways I didn’t yet understand. If I could rewind time, I would let her stay. I would choose her, every time.
When we were young, she loved to ask me for “night-night songs.” Sometimes I sang children’s songs—Twinkle, Twinkle, The Itsy Bitsy Spider—but my favorites were always the classic Disney princesses, Aurora and Cinderella. Once Upon a Dream and A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes. I would sing softly as she lay in bed, stroking her hair, kissing her forehead goodnight.
Those moments were gentle and sacred. Bittersweet now, but forever cherished. They live in my heart, untouched by time.