i'm Silvie
& i spennt my whole life on castlesss made of sannd
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
here today.
But still her
mother worried, for her to face this day
alone.
And that was why
once more, 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 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 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, for this is such a special
day.
And though you
cannot meet him, I wanted you to know,
all about my daddy, and how he loves me
so.
He loved to tell me
stories, he taught me to ride a 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're apart.
I know because he told me, he'd be forever in
my heart."
With that her
little hand reached up, and lay across her
chest.
Feeling her own
heart beat, beneath her favorite dress.
And from somewhere in the crowd, 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 it's messege clear &
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
fireman and died just this past year,
when airplanes hit the towers, and taught
Americans to fear.
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 by
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.
And a child was
blessed, if only for a moment, by the love of her shining
star,
and given the gift
of believing that heaven is never too
far.