Daddy's girl

It was one of those moments that I wish I'd had the camera ready in order to capture the sweet perfection of, though a photo wouldn't have done it justice.  It was one of those moments that I will hope stays emblazed in my memory till I'm old and gray. It was one of those moments when I looked and realized that life is moving too quickly.  It was one of those moments that drove me to quiet tears at the simple beauty of the heart.

After two very long days of working a tournament and not seeing the kids but a mere hour or two, Kyle was able to work a bit, then come home for lunch and a few hours until the next game started.  I heard him and Maggie quietly whispering by the front door as he came home, then she announced she had a secret and couldn't tell me.  Ah, it's almost Mother's Day.  So, it was soon made known that after lunch, Mags and Daddy were "going out for a while."  Oh, the scheming. 

Promptly after picking like a bird at her lunch, she announced she was done and needed to go get ready.  Typically, it is like pulling teeth to get the child ready to go anywhere, but this time was special, and we quickly noticed how sacred this time was in her three year old heart.  She pulled a dining room chair into her room in order to pick out just the right outfit for spending time with her daddy.  She hollered out, "hey daddy! I'm gonna wear jeans, just like you!"   Then she proceded to also choose her new butterfly shirt and some flip-flops.  We waited, then she made her grand entrance, a princess fit for a ball, in her mind. 

Unfortunately, her shoes were on the wrong feet, but it just wouldn't do to sit there on the floor and correct them.  She ran back to her room and we peeked in to see what she was doing.  There, in the middle of her room, she had arranged her little pink chair, just so, facing her closet and conveniently next to her much-loved Rapunzel dress, spread out across the floor.  She switched her shoes, twice actually, to get it right then made another entrance.  Her hair was a disaster, but instead of letting me fix it, she proudly stated she could do this by herself also, she grabbed a pink headband and zipped into her room and onto the pink chair.

Kyle smiled at me and said, "I think she's excited to be spending time with her Daddy."  As we looked in on her once again, I saw not my baby girl, but a young lady, fussing with her headband, to look perfect for her Daddy.  The reality that she is so quickly growing up almost took my breath away as I sat and watched her and relished in the love of a little girl for her own handsome Prince...her dad.  As my tears pooled up, I had to excuse myself for fear of troubling her.  But, in those few seconds, my mind flashed to what lies ahead, to seeing her stand in front the mirror getting ready for Prom or for her wedding, and praying that this first moment of pure innocence, beauty and love would never escape my memory.

As they walked away to the car, she shot me an award-winning smile and a hearty wave, thrilled to have this special time out.  I have to admit, my heart aches a little thinking of the rapid race that life lends itself to. Time moves too quickly, and I have to diligently remind myself to slow down and not take a moment of it for granted.