If you support our troops please read

[sharkie]

Daddy's poem

Her hair was up in a pony tail, her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy's Day at school, and she couldn't wait to go.
But her mommy tried to tell her, that she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand, if she went to school alone.
But she was not afraid; she knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates of why he wasn't there today.
But still her mother worried, for her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again, she tried to keep her daughter home.
But the little girl went to school, eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees, a dad who never calls.
There were daddies along the wall in back, for everyone to meet.
Children were squirming impatiently, anxious in their seats.
One by one the teacher called, a student from the class, to introduce their daddy.
As seconds slowly passed, at last the teacher called her name,
every child turned to stare. Each of them was searching,
for a man who wasn't there. "Where's her daddy at?"
she heard a boy call out. "She probably doesn't have one,"
another student dared to shout. And from somewhere near the back,
she heard a daddy say, "Looks like another deadbeat dad,
too busy to waste his day. "The words did not offend her,
as she smiled up at her Mom. And looked back at her teacher,
who told her to go on. And with hands behind her back, slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child, came words incredibly unique.
"My Daddy couldn't be here, because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be, since this is such a special day.
And though you cannot meet him, I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy, and how much he loves me so. He loved to tell me stories
he taught me to ride my bike. He surprised me with pink roses, and taught me to fly a kite.
We used to share fudge sundaes, and ice cream in a cone. And though you cannot see him,
I'm not standing here alone. "Cause my daddy's always with me, even though we are apart.
I know because he told me, he'll forever be in my heart. " With that, her little hand reached up,
and lay across her chest. Feeling her own heartbeat, beneath her favorite dress.
And from somewhere in the crowd of dads, her mother stood in tears. Proudly watching

her daughter, who was wise beyond her years. For she stood up for the love
of a man not in her life. Doing what was best for her, doing what was right.
And when she dropped her hand back down, staring straight into the crowd,

she finished with a voice so soft, but its message clear and loud. "I love my daddy very much,
he's my shining star. And if he could, he'd be here, but heaven's just too far!
You see he was a Canadian soldier and died just this past year
in Afghanistan by a roadsie bomb.
"But sometimes when I close my eyes, it's like he never went away."
And then she closed her eyes, and saw him there that day. And to her mother's amazement,
she witnessed with surprise, a room full of daddies and children,
all starting to close their eyes. Who knows what they saw before them, who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second, they saw him at her side. "I know you're with me Daddy,"
to the silence she called out. And what happened next made believers, of those once filled with doubt.
Not one in that room could explain it, for each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her, was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.
And a child was blessed, if only for a moment, by the love of her shining bright star.
And given the gift of believing, that heaven is never too far.
They say it takes a minute to find a special
person, an hour toappreciate them,
a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them..

[tarynottawa]

Very beautiful.

[momgoneawol]

Thanks for posting that. My eyes were watering by the last few lines. Hubby is a firefighter and I worry everytime he goes into a big fire.

[sharkie]

thank you for your replies...I just recently retired from the military after serving for 25 years...a friend of min e sent me this poem and I cried...it brought back memories of a friend who was killed in Afghanistan is 2003...I often wonder about the affect it has had on his children

[$avvy$hopper]

quite the tear jerker and beautiful reminder of the loving mommies and daddies who've served and died and left loved ones behind.

will continue to support and pray for them! thanks OP!

[sharkie]

thank you...god bless

[chillys-willy]

Made me cry. Very touching!

[sharkie]

thanks for your reply...it is a very touching poem

[DianneS]

Very moving. Thank you for the reminder of the sacrifices made and the lives affected...

[ArmyWifeEdmonton]

Thank you. My friend lost her husband in 2009 and we think about him, and his "3 girls" almost every day.

[flyingdutch]

thank you for posting this

I'm sure my friends daughter would have done this if she had been old enough to know her father before he passed... but we have always told her her whole life that he is with her always, that he loved her more than anything, and she will get to meet him someday...

a good reminder that it's not only the soldiers who serve who sometimes make a great sacrifice, but also their families too...

[cath007]

This poem is so toughtful. This child amazed my by theirs words and believe.Wow so young and so decided to honour her dad that day.

[Mystic]

Lovely and very touching!

[jbird56]

my eyes are filled with tears...very touching!

[sharkie]

thank you for leaving your comments..