100 things I want to tell my daughter ~#97

# 97 Dance – especially when you’re doing the laundry.

My dearest Kailey, always find a reason to dance even when doing laundry.

When I was young my mom always had music going in the kitchen. Actually my parents pretty much had music going all of the time. When I was young, 8 years or so every Saturday and Sunday mornings the house would be filled with music. 
Initially it was the 8 tracks in the living room. Conway Twitty, Kenny Rogers, Elvis Presley...typically it was country music. I would wake up to these country tunes just outside of my bedroom. It was comforting and the music symbolized happiness. It was peaceful, and it was routine. Routine is safe, routine is comfort. I liked that. As an adult I knew it was something I wanted my children to feel. I knew routine was most important.
Coming home from school back in grade 6, 7 and 8  it was a give in that my mom had music playing in the kitchen. She always played something while preparing dinner. After  the country music came the 80's tunes. Then it was the beautiful melodies of Michael Jackson, Phil Collins and Lional Ritchie that filled the house with aromas of teenage youth  Dreams of love, hopes of future relationships and fantasies of  what my life would end up being. Relishing in all my world revolving around me just as a typical teenager would.
I can't express how important it felt to have that comforting feeling of music throughout the house while growing up.
There was only one time in my youth that the music stopped. It was the day mom papa died. My mothers father. When I came in from school that day, there was no music and my mom was in the kitchen making dinner. I knew something was wrong. There is nothing worse than seeing your mother cry. It was such a sad day, and as sad as I was for my mom and our family...I recall being worried that the music wouldn't play ever again.
I can remember just as clearly the day I walked in from school and heard it again...I was so happy. Thrilled because it was a feeling of safety again, that our family was doing well and we were all going to be ok.
When you hear music, good music...what's the natural thing to do? DANCE!!
SO this is were my word of advice comes in for Kailey. I hope you can remember our kitchen, dancing when you are all grown and have a family of your own. Please try to recognize how it made you feel to see dancing, laughing and love in our home. It was always one of my favorite things to do while making dinner, I guess my mom taught me that. :)
There is nothing happier than a house filled with music and dancing, remember that! If you take that with you into your own family life, my darling I promise you'll always have a reason to smile~

I can only hope that those summer nights, those Saturday morning tunes we shared in our own kitchen will stay with you. I pray you remember our beloved Harley dancing in the kitchen with mom. I can still remember getting you and Braden to dance, typically ending in a game of chase.
I guess I can end this post with the reason's that make the most sense for your name...from where my family comes from down in Nova Scotia, a kitchen party is called a "Kailey or in Irish dialect its Ceilidh". Everyone would gather at the home of a dear friends house during the cold brisk winters in the east coast and have themselves a good ol'fashioned kitchen (Ceilidh) Kailey~

The picture above was definitely taken during a kitchen ceilidh. We were visiting family in Cape Breton Nova Scotia. My grandfather is the second from the left, with my dad beside him on the right. That's me bottom middle, with my dad. 

I am sure this picture was also taken the same night. There is a long history of boxers in my family, it wasn't a party until the men starting putting up their dukes and the women were dancing and singing.