The Rankins, and how they made my day more beautiful.

When people ask someone from Mabou where they are from, we say, "Mabou Harbour" or West Mabou or Mabou Coal Mines, like the outsider would know the difference.  And then we all add, you know the Rankin family?  Yes, well, we are from the same small village.  Growing up there we were fortunate enough to hear them play in the school band(I remember Jimmy being the cool band guy), and we would see them singing at church, with one of the girls taking their place beside the organ when the choir wasn't there.  They sang at our weddings, our funerals and all the Mabou Ceilidh concerts over the years.

The last few days have been mentally, physically and emotionally draining for me, but tonight just before supper I received an email from a foster child that was with us two years ago, in the email she had pasted the link for this song by the Rankins.

You see, when Shayleen, our little girl was small, we would spend hours walking and dancing her around the kitchen, and we were not sure if we were going to be able to keep her, and this song kind of became our theme, and one of her favorites to fall asleep in our arms to.  If you listen to the words, it fits perfectly for foster kids, if you can make them realize that your love goes with them where ever they go.  And so it has become a tradition of mine to either download or write out the words of this song when a foster child leaves us, and it goes with them either on their memory stick, or in their book. Today one of those kids felt the need to listen to it, and remind us that our love stayed with her.

As I headed out the door to drop Mitchell and his gang off at cadets I grabbed the cd, These are the Moments by the Rankins, and cranked it on the way home and belted out all the words like I could really sing, lol.  And here was where my second Rankin moment happened.  As I pulled up the lights in Thickwood and stopped, the woman in the van next to me rolled her window down and sang along with me to this song.

We grinned and sang the line, "Shake around your little behind." together and pulled away from the lights smiling.  By the time I pulled in the driveway, I was in tears again, as Raylene's haunting voice came on singing We Rise Again.  And I came in the door thinking about what a talented family they all are, but also thinking what a wonderful bunch they are....their mother was one of the classiest ladies I have ever met, and when I was sick years ago, she would give me pep talks every time she saw me.  She really had an air of grace, and she passed it on to her children, they are gracious and she would be so proud.  So this is my thank you tonight to the Rankins, from Mabou, who make us proud to be from the same small village.  Who showed us that you could go away and have a great amount of success and return to your roots and be as humble as ever.  They showed us younger crew that you could do what you love and make a living at it, and it didn't have to be a typical job.  They probably still don't realize how much they mean to all of us, how we treasure them, and how much we all love them.  The next time you run into one of them, tell them thanks for sharing their great talent.  And Raylene, you are still being missed.