Our Little Mermaid

I grow old...I grow old...

I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.

Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?

I shall wear white flannel trousers and walk upon the beach.

I have heard the mermaids singing,each to each.

I do not think they will sing for me.

I have seen them riding seaward on the waves

Combing the white hair of the waves blown back

When the wind blows the waves white and black.

We have lingered in the chambers of the sea

By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown

Till human voices wake us, and we drown.

From "The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock"- T.S. Eliot

This is one of my favorite poems, and now I have an excuse to print an exerpt from it, because this post is about mermaids. This weekend is our granddaughter Anne Marie's birthday. Tomorrow is her party with her little friends, and tonight we celebrated with her at our house. Our own little grandparents party. I often call her My Little Mermaid, because she loves the water and is so fearless she'll walk right into a big wave, be knocked over, and won't care. This year she wanted a mermaid doll for her birthday. But there were so many in the store that all did different things. What's a grandparent to do? Get her three different ones, of course! The word mermaid is a compound of mere, the old english word for sea, and maid, a woman. Mermaids sometimes sing to people to distract them from their work, and can also carry humans down to their underwater kingdoms. In British folklore, they are unlucky omens, both predicting disaster and provoking it. To this day, there are reports of mermaid sightings.

They seem to be timeless. Oh, and one other thing. Some people say that mermaids have immortal souls.

"This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." 2 Tim. 1:10