A Daughter's Gift
>> 6/20/10
The day is long.
Sleep creeps in unexpected. The ambush comes while propped up in bed watching the evening news.
Ten little fingers function better than any alarm clock the next morning. They dance over my ribs with great gusto.
“Hey, what are you doing?” I snap, waking with a start.
The smile evaporates from the angelic face before me, but only for a moment. It returns with mischievous glee a split second before her fingers dive for my midsection and resume their spirited dance.
“Hey, why are you doing that?”
“I just wanted to make you laugh, Daddy. You don’t laugh much any more. I just want to make you laugh.”
In that moment the source of a father’s joy becomes clear to me. Arms envelope the little girl before me and draw her close.
And then a real tickle fest begins. The giggles and laughter continue uninterrupted for the longest time.
Many years have passed.
My little girls are all grown up.
Their decisions and accomplishments make me proud. Admiration is the only appropriate response to the capable young women they have become. Their thoughtfulness leaves me speechless, and sometimes, a bit misty too.
The happiness daughters bring to a father’s heart is inexpressible. They ensure that there is always laughter in his life.
That’s the only gift a dad needs on Father’s Day.
Sleep creeps in unexpected. The ambush comes while propped up in bed watching the evening news.
Ten little fingers function better than any alarm clock the next morning. They dance over my ribs with great gusto.
“Hey, what are you doing?” I snap, waking with a start.
The smile evaporates from the angelic face before me, but only for a moment. It returns with mischievous glee a split second before her fingers dive for my midsection and resume their spirited dance.
“Hey, why are you doing that?”
“I just wanted to make you laugh, Daddy. You don’t laugh much any more. I just want to make you laugh.”
In that moment the source of a father’s joy becomes clear to me. Arms envelope the little girl before me and draw her close.
And then a real tickle fest begins. The giggles and laughter continue uninterrupted for the longest time.
Many years have passed.
My little girls are all grown up.
Their decisions and accomplishments make me proud. Admiration is the only appropriate response to the capable young women they have become. Their thoughtfulness leaves me speechless, and sometimes, a bit misty too.
The happiness daughters bring to a father’s heart is inexpressible. They ensure that there is always laughter in his life.
That’s the only gift a dad needs on Father’s Day.
1 comments:
Wow! Truly a gift. Happy Father's Day (belated).
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