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It's been said
that you will never know what love really means until you have a daughter. Oh sure, your Mom loves you and
your wife will tell you she loves you, but I'm talking adoration here. Pure and simple adoration. A
little girl who has just learned to walk reaches up and places her small hand
in yours, her smiling face beaming with pride and affection, and your worst day has just turned into a lifetime
of pleasant memories.
 The first few years of a little girl's life are filled with exploring and discovering and waiting for
Daddy. Everything revolves around her favorite person in the world.....her buddy, her pal, her Dad. Oh sure, they
love Mom too....but Mom's are ubiquitous. If they want something, Mom is right there to get it for them.....if they're
hungry, Mom is Johnny-on-the-spot, right there with a graham cracker or a cookie. But Daddys tend to dissappear every
day for some reason. I'm sure most tiny little girls wander the house all day wondering "I wonder where that nice man
went?" So when Daddy gets home from work, they're shocked and surprised.....every day. And that's when the
fun begins all over again.. There is no feeling that compares with getting out of a car at the end of a long
day and having your favorite little girl in the world come running out of the house yelling "Daddy, Daddy". Believe
me, it's better than winning the Super Bowl. Or the lottery!
But let me warn you right here.......don't get used to it.
Little girls have a habit of growing up and discovering that their heros are really just MEN after all....with all the
failings of all the other men she's ever met. But for about 12 or 14 years, you are allowed to bask in the glow
of her adoration with no compunctions. So take some terribly good advice and take advantage of it. That little
girl will grow up someday and treat you like the ordinary human being you really are. She will treat you just like everyone
else treats you.....as you deserve to be treated. So while she is still young and unaware of your shortcomings, don't
be stupid and miss out on it.....take every opportunity you possibly can to revel in your little girl's total love and adoration
of you. It won't last forever, believe me......even little girls grow up and get smart.
But for that short period of time, you will never feel more like a King
or a Lord. Just a glance from her small, smiling face will fill you with such warmth and pride that you will
never feel more loved in your life.
I was blessed with three such daughters.......Lori,
Joy and Dani. This is the story of my first born, Lori.
No man ever had a daughter like Lori......from the first day we carried
her home through the worst snowstorm in decades, she has occupied a very special place in my heart. (Her
mother used to say "Why don't you just sleep in her toybox, for God's sake?") Lori became the light of my life, my friend, my confidant, and my love forever. Lori was everything a man would want a
daughter to be....smart, pretty, funny, talented, caring, loving and the sweetest child
that ever walked. I would not have changed one hair on her head. She was my never-complaining, always-by-my-side
daughter, as great a kid as God ever put on the earth.
Lori was special from day one.....sweet, helpful and loving. And
brave......I remember a late fall day standing under the monkey bars at the playground, talking to her mother and grandmother,
when I caught a glimpse of her flying through the air out of the corner of my eye and she's yelling "Daddy, catch me."
Before I could even react, here comes this little two year old sailing at me, big smile on her face and expecting that
I will never fail her...but I had so little time to react that I barely got one hand under her arm and she swung to the ground
with a bit of a bang and I know she had to be injured. She hit her knee and immediately began crying....I picked her
up and hugged her and tried to comfort her, but she would have none of it. She squirmed out of my arms and started back
to the top, still crying and turned and looked at me and said
"Now, this time, catch me, OK?"
Naturally, she remembers none of this now. As you're no doubt aware, children have very selective
memories and they remember only what they want to remember. But I remember.....and so does her Mother.
So many little things, so many pleasant memories.....Lori was the kind of daughter that every man wishes
he'd had. Not a mean or spiteful bone in her body, never got into trouble or caused any commotion at any time.
She spent her time reading and drawing pictures, or watching out for her little sister. The few times that I had to
admonish them for anything at all were so trivial as to be forgotten immediately. Straight A student and one hell of
an athlete, she never gave either her Mother or I a moment of grief in her entire childhood.
Lori went on to great things in school; not only achieving high grades, but participating in everything
she could get involved in.....from the Pompon squad to art projects (the last time I checked, her murals were still on the
High School walls) and being voted Homecoming Queen in 1978. As well as fitting in with nearly every sub-culture a high
school can have, (with the possible exception of the Druggies, but I think most of them liked her too) Lori managed to meet
the love of her life and her future husband, Al. Al and Lori now have two wonderful children of their own and
are no doubt enjoying the type of bliss described above.
Lori went on to college, got married in 1985 and had her first daughter, Erica, in 1989. Luke
arrived in 93, and Lori is now Homeschooling both of them, and enjoying every minute of it.
I've been asked many times if I ever had a problem giving up my daughter to some complete stranger off the
street.......so let me address that.
If I had gone into a lab and attempted to construct the perfect mate for my darling daughter, I could
not have done a better job of it. Not to put too fine a point on it, but Al is the perfect husband and the perfect
father. His kids adore him just like mine adored me, but I have every reason to believe that his feet will not turn
to clay as mine did. Al is loved by his friends and family and admired by everyone he meets and I am proud to call him
my son-in-law. If I had ever had a son, I couldn't ask for more than to have him turn out just like Lori's husband.
So let me say this about my first born daughter, Lori.......I could not be happier for the way things
turned out for her. Happily married to a man that she loves and respects, and bringing up two wonderful kids, Lori is,
was and shall remain one of my favorite people in the world.
And so, sweetheart, if from time to time you catch me staring at you with a wistful smile on my face,
please don't say "......What?"
Just for a moment, just every now and then, I tend to drift back in time and the image of that tousle-haired
tot with the hair like corn silk reemerges from the recesses of my mind, a precious little tike that is no longer part
of my world, but one that I miss terribly and one that will remain alive in my memory until I draw my last
breath.
So while that innocent little girl may only exist in my memories, let me assure you,
I am awfully impressed by the lady that she has become.
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Click here to go to Joy's Page
Joy
If you'd like to read about Lori's recent trip to Washington to dine with the President, click here.
Lori's lunch with the President
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