She handed me the paper folded up with the words “To: Daddy” written very carefully in her best handwriting.
Delicately, with her watching over me, I opened it up and saw the most beautifully illustrated family picture you can imagine: Daddy, her sister, and her.
The family picture had the most beautiful rainbow you have ever seen in the background and a sun shining over us. Let me just take a moment to say, we have our own sun and rainbow follow us everywhere we go. I have proof.
In big bold letters it said: <3 I LOVE YOU DADY <3!
She drew herself proportional to me and her older sister and made sure I had my glasses on and goatee. She and her sister were wearing the most beautiful dresses that swayed in the wind and beamed under our well dimmed sunshine.
The intricacy with which she drew this was breathtaking. Each line was drawn with intent and the colors carefully selected to make sure that everything was coordinated. It was a very carefully designed masterpiece by my Sun.
I live for these moments. I treasure these moments. I love these moments.
Meanwhile in the other room her sister was composing a song that she didn’t want me to hear, yet. This was a first. She usually creates with me in the room, but the secrecy definitely had me intrigued.
Maybe I was a bad daddy. I confess.
I would poke my head in there and listen to her building a melody to this song. My song?
It seemed like forever. Or maybe it was my curiosity getting the best of me.
Eventually she came out to my room with 2 sheets of paper on which she had been scribbling her lyrics.
She paused. Cleared her throat. And began… 
…to get me choked up.
She gave homage to her mother and I. It was a song for her parents and the love we share. It was beautiful. It was poetic. It was my moment of life.
Not only did my baby illustrate a masterpiece, but my other Sun created her own musical masterpiece.
In the spirit of competition, the older one immediately rushed to the karaoke machine and began to compose her own rendition. She kept her older sister’s melody but created a whole separate song.
A remix! 🙂
And this is why I do what I do… for these moments and all the small precious ones in between.
