She was almost born on Valentine’s Day; actually it was 7:11 a.m. on the 15^th of February when she entered the world and completely changed my world.  My daughter is now 23, but each time I see her the same feelings of that first moment still emerge from my heart.  It is combined feeling of joy, pride, fulfillment, thankfulness, and humility, mixed with desires to protect and help.

Each day she lived at home found me excited to wake up and see her (and later along with my son), and to come home from work to help with homework or simply to have our dinners together and play. Children become central to your joy and purpose in life (I challenge anyone to tell me otherwise).

Daughters, do in fact, as my experience proves, have an innate ability to wrap their father around their finger and find ways to get a dad to do things for them.  Proof to this point is when my, then ice skating champion to be, had me buying skates for her that were twice what I had planned.  Of course, watching her skate made it all worthwhile, but darn if I would of bought those skates at the price for anyone else. 

When my wife, son and I dropped off our daughter at her college of choice it was a dark day for me, I found myself literally unable to breath.  I recall, previous to that day, driving her to the college orientation, four hours from our home, only to find we were one day to early, so we had to go home and repeat that trip the next day.  But, instead of being angry, I was actually so happy to be able to spend all that time with her before the emptiness she left in our home descended upon us.

Now, my daughter, wife and I now share the loss of our son/ brother together.  Luckily, it is my daughter, that has always brought joy to us, that still brings joy.  Without her I know I would not be able to go on. All those many feelings she stirred from the moment of her birth are still there and provide a balance of sweetness to the bitterness life recently brought to us.

My son once, in a rare moment of anger, told my daughter she is a “butt in the pain” – but I now tell him, “no, she is a light in the pain,” and I find him agreeing.

Fathers be kind to your daughters, they then will turn to be blessings during the darkness that life often brings.