Her hair 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,
on this Daddy's Day.
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 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 were 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 at her friends;
And looked back at her teacher,
Who told her to begin.
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,
With me on this 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 all alone.
'Cause my daddy's always with me,
Even though we are apart;
I know because he told me,
He'll forever be here in my heart."
With that her little hand reached up,
And lay across her chest;
Feeling her own heartbeat,
Beneath her favorite dress.
From somewhere in the crowd of dads,
Her mother stood in tears;
Proudly watching her daughter,
Who was wise beyond her years.
She stood up for the love,
Of a man not in her life;
Doing what was best for her,
Doing what was right.
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;
If he could he'd be here,
But heaven's just too far.
Sometimes when I close my eyes,
It's like he never went away;"
Then she closed her eyes,
And saw him there that day.
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 a second,
They saw him at her side.
"I know you're with me Daddy,"
To the silence she called out;
What happened next made believers,
Of those once filled with doubt.
No one in that room could explain it,
For each of their eyes had been closed;
But there placed on her desktop,
Was a beautiful fragrant pink rose.
A child was blessed, if only a moment,
By the love of her shining bright star;
And given the gift of believing,
That heaven is never too FAR.
Cheryl Costello-Forsheyİ2000
As it appeared in:
Chicken Soup For The Soul
www.chickensoup.com
