Well, this is the sweetest thing I’ve seen in 2018.
A little boy in Texas was caught singing on video by his parents, who shared the clip on social media. Nothing new about that, right? Well, it’s the story behind the boy’s song that makes this viral video unforgettable.
On Dec. 30, Samir Deais, of San Antonio, Texas, filmed his four-year-old son Alex strumming a little guitar and singing “Remember Me” from the 2017 Disney-Pixar movie “Coco” in front of a picture of his little sister. Alex was serenading the portrait of the baby girl on what would have been her first birthday.
Alex’s sister Ava Lynn Deais died on May 1, 2017, at just four months old. She suffered from a kidney disease, according to BuzzFeed. The song Alex performed for his late sister in the video is particularly fitting because it’s about keeping the memories of those we love alive long after they’ve passed away.
https://twitter.com/SAM1R/status/947291512303489024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzfeed.com%2Fdelaneystrunk%2Fthis-4-year-old-singing-remember-me-for-his
Some of the lyrics Alex can be heard singing are: “Remember me / Don’t let it make you cry / For even if I’m far away I hold you in my heart.” If you need to pause to grab tissues at this point, I don’t blame you one bit.
In his tweet that included the video, Deais wrote that Alex “didn’t even know he was being recorded.” The heartwarming clip immediately became a hit online.
Since the video went viral, Deais wrote on Twitter that he and his wife, Stephanie, “were literally brought to tears seeing how much love Alex and Ava and our family has received … Thank you to everyone from our little family!”
Alex’s sweet song was only the latest example of the Deais family honoring baby Ava on social media. Deais’ Instagram page is full of posts paying tribute to her life, including one that shows the altar, filled with pictures and candles, where Alex serenaded her.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaShgHHB595/?taken-by=samirdeais
Deais told BuzzFeed that watching “Coco” was helpful for helping Alex understand and cope with Ava’s passing. “He started to ask more accurate and direct questions, and using ‘Coco’ as a reference was a huge help,” Deais said. The movie is about a little boy’s journey to the Land of the Dead where he meets some of his ancestors and learns about the importance of remembering loved ones who are no longer alive.
Listen to the full song, and read its touching lyrics, in the video below: