It was a heartwarming moment for a grandfather on Christmas Eve, to hear his granddaughter sing a song he had written back in the 80’s.
Chera Willett remembers her dad, Mike Brook, singing the song he had written about a soldier who had served in Vietnam. Brook, now 69, always wanted to join the U.S. Army since he was 21 years old, but because of football injuries and hearing loss in one ear, he was deemed ineligible to serve.
Brook was inspired by stories of Vietnam veterans and especially by one particular man, and so he turned the story into a song, and sang it to his children.
In 2018, Brook was with his family on Christmas Eve when his granddaughter, Karli Willett, surprised him by singing the same old song to her grandpa.
Karli is an aspiring singer and songwriter, and her mom Chera, made a recording of herself playing and singing her grandpa’s cherished song. Brook immediately began to cry, as he heard his own granddaughter sing the old, familiar song.
Chera said, “To us, it is a childhood memory of my dad putting his heart into the lyrics of a song and crying as he sang it.” Karli said that her parents found the lyrics to the song in an old paper box while cleaning out the garage. and that her mom broke down as she remembered it.
Chera Willett says, “My daughter being a singer and songwriter, I immediately had the idea to finish the song and record it as a surprise for Christmas for my Dad,” and added, “It was a precious moment.” It was a beautiful sight to see the bonding between grandfather and granddaughter who she called, “paw paw” as he filled with pride hearing her voice paired with an acoustic guitar.
Chera said, “He broke down in tears when he heard the song; happy, proud tears!” Chera Willett said. “It was just the sweetest moment. A moment that took us all back and a moment that we will never forget!”