Ten days before his 11^th birthday (12/9/02) DECLAN GALBRAITH released his first single, “Tell Me Why”.

The largest choir in history assembled from all over the UK and Ireland joining Declan to sing his song for a Guinness World Record.

I’m thinking about my young grandchildren, Jules and Abbott, and the world that they are inheriting and I couldn’t help but wonder:  What would our world look like if all of us from around the globe joined together to “sing” a response to Declan’s question?  It could be a harmony that has never been heard before in our Uni-verse, our One Song.

In my dream children sing a song of love for every boy and girl
The sky is blue and fields are green and laughter is the language of the world
Then I wake and all I see is a world full of people in need

Tell me why (why) does it have to be like this?
Tell me why (why) is there something I have missed?
Tell me why (why) cos I don’t understand.
When so many need somebody we don’t give a helping hand.
Tell me why?

Everyday I ask myself what will I have to do to be a man?
Do I have to stand and fight to prove to everybody who I am?
Is that what my life is for to waste in a world full of war?

Tell me why (why) does it have to be like this?
Tell me why (why) is there something I have missed?
Tell me why (why) cos I don’t understand.
When so many need somebody we don’t give a helping hand.
Tell me why?

(children) tell me why? (declan) tell me why?
(children) tell me why? (declan) tell me why?
(together) just tell me why, why, why?

Tell me why (why) does it have to be like this?
Tell me why (why) is there something I have missed?
Tell me why (why) cos I don’t understand.
When so many need somebody we don’t give a helping hand.

Tell me why (why,why,does the tiger run)
Tell me why (why why do we shoot the gun)
Tell me why (why,why do we never learn)
Can someone tell us why we let the forest burn?

(why,why do we say we care)
Tell me why (why,why do we stand and stare)
Tell me why (why,why do the dolphins cry)
Can some one tell us why we let the ocean die ?

(why,why if we’re all the same)
tell me why (why,why do we pass the blame)
tell me why (why,why does it never end)
can some one tell us why we cannot just be friends?

Link to YouTube Video Declan Galbraith \”Tell Me Why\”
The event was organized by ‘Young Voices in Concert’. Funds from the record-breaking attempt were donated to the Sargent Cancer Care for Children.

I had spoken to Ian several times by phone – a clipped English accent and a fairly brusque manner. He was going to sell us bees at a reasonable price, but we didn’t know what to expect. Was all of this going to be a rip-off, poor quality stock to match the bargain basement rates?

Then one sunny morning in early May a small group of us made the journey out of the city to pick up our new bees. We were excited but also apprehensive.

Meeting Ian in person made all the difference. He was comfortable in his bee yard and he put us at ease right away. A solidly-built, middle-aged man of medium height, Ian had a broad smile and a twinkle in his eyes. Obviously his telephone manner was reserved only for the use of that instrument.

We put on our bee gear and he explained how we needed to conduct ourselves among the industrious inhabitants of this new domain. Then he led the way to the boxes of new bees.

We stood around him in a semi-circle, watching as he slowly and patiently opened each box. He was checking that each had a queen bee, so vital to the future health of our colonies. When he found each one, he would hold out the frame so that all of us could make her acquaintance.

The mood was magical – Ian speaking softly, the mid-morning sun warming us, and the air around us filled with bees on the wing. The soothing hum of many hundreds of the tiny creatures had the calming quality of a meditation session. The bees seemed to accept our presence among them and continued on with their busy lives of gathering nectar and pollen. We felt at one with the surging vitality of insect life and close to a fruitful and productive earth.

Since then our bees have prospered and proliferated – excellent value for our investment. Our first meeting with Ian had been auspicious, and our first meeting with the bees inspirational.

Dave–Toronto, Canada