The song running through your head

By HELEN GUILFORD

Do you ever get a song running through your head that just stays there all day long? Sometimes it can be a real joy and other times it can be real annoying -- depending on what the song is.

At the jail, another supervisor and I often sang a line or two of some little ditty as we left briefing in the hope of putting it in the other's head for the day. You know, it was just one of those things friends do to each other. His ditty was part of the Nestle chocolate commercial; I responded with "M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E, Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse..."

Recently I have been looking back over some of my 15-plus years of writings for this column and have noted the praise choruses, gospel songs and hymns I have used. In reading these over, I've had them going through my head most of the day. Neither distracting nor annoying, they just sort of bubble through the day reminding me of who I am and Whose I am.

It's not bad at all to "hear" a praise song such as "Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place, I can feel His mighty power and His grace; I can hear the brush of angels' wings; I see glory on each face. Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place."

Saturday, five of us were on a day-long outing -- a four-hour drive to southern Ohio, a two and a half hour meeting and a four-hour drive home. Two of the group were teens and eventually the lone mother in the group asked if they wanted to play a game.

In the game, two cards are drawn randomly to direct the activity. The first card names the category and the second gives a letter of the alphabet. You are to name something beginning with that letter and fitting the category. It was going along rather well with someone calling out a word which fit or was at least a funny response.

Then came "animal" with "K". One of the teens called out "kookaburra". That did it! For the rest of the drive south it rang through my head, "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree; merry, merry king of the bush is he. Laugh, Kookaburra; laugh, Kooka-burra; gay your life must be." (Now, I've probably done it to myself for this day and possibly to you as well. Sorry about that!)

Anyway, we went to the meeting and participated in the discussion with interest. The jingle was forgotten... until we started home. Then, that same young person sang the ditty one more time early in the return trip and the tape player in my head reset itself.

It's best to be careful what we put in our minds first thing in the morning, and throughout the day, for that may be what directs our thoughts.

Nothing wrong with kookaburra but there are better thoughts to occupy one's mind. "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but... I put away childish things. (I Cor. 13:11) "As he thinks in his heart, so is he." (Prov. 23:7)

What song is running through your head today? (Besides kookaburra, that is.)