Daddy's Little Girl

I'm thankful I was fortunate enough to have grown up on a farm
outside Central Ohio which made childhood memories abundant for
me.

I was blessed with two loving parents. I loved my Mother as deeply as a
daughter could but, I was clearly "Daddy's little girl."

I remember how the early morning sun would greet me with the promise of
one more day filled with adventure. After breakfast Daddy would take me
my the hand and off we'd go! Feeding the goats, playing with the
piglets in the barn, or riding the tractor. No two days were the
same.

Some of the best times was sharing the old wooden swing on a sultry
summer night. We would watch the fireflies dance in the fields and
together we would weave a new fishing tale. We would wait hours for the
stars to appear just to make a wish. It didn't matter what we did,
after all, I was with the man I loved.

Daddy was a wise and gentle man. He taught me many things but his
greatest gift was his teachings about life. He taught me about love,
pure and simple. He encouraged me to dream my dreams and reach for the
moon. He said I shouldn't put my hopes and dreams on a shelf. I should
follow my hearts'desire and to know that "oneday" does exist. Oneday I
would open my heart and soul to another man and he would fill my life
with happiness and fulfillment.

Daddy explained that secrets of the heart are the hardest to reveal,
the hardest to share, and should be treated as treasures. To trust and
love fully I needed to venture inward and expose my heart to that one
special man. With him I could blend desire, passion, and devotion that
would enrich both our lives.

Daddy was strong, like the mighty oak tree that grew in the meadow.
Through faith and determination they both faced life's storms,
sometimes bending but never breaking, and always believing that storms
never last.

He encouraged me to be flexible and realize that my hopes and dreams
may change over the course of my life's journey.

He allowed me to laugh and play and share the wonderment of my
childhood.

I'll always thank Daddy for placing the stars in my eyes and for making
me believe that oneday another special man would eventually come into
my life to keep the stars in my eyes shinning.

I'm grown with children of my own but deep inside my heart I will
always be&;#8230;"Daddy's Little Girl."