Sunday was Emily's birthday, but not just any birthday, she turned thirteen. I am the father of a teenage daughter. I'd like to see this as a milestone, but realize in many ways, she is already so grown up. Lizzy gets most of my blogging time, but Emily is truly a treasure. The morning she was born my life changed and my heart grew. That evening it was raining and I'll never forget the raw emotions of being a new father. I began to write a poem, but as tears of joy welled up, I never finished it.
The first few verses were...
The Angels cried their tears tonight
They fell from heaven as they moaned
Somewhere during the morning light
They lost a precious one of their own
I found her there so weak and frail
My new charge and life bestow
In this new endeavor I could not fail
Father, a role I do not know
She'll be the center of my life
Love and compassion I've never known
Protect her from all harm and strife
In my heart she'll find a home
She was a baby then, she's a young woman now. I have tried to give her all of the tools she will need in life. She'll always be daddy's little girl but as her independence grows, so does my pride and my role as a father changes. I know the following few years will be trying. Daddy just doesn't seem as cool as he used to be anymore, at least not in public.
Watching the horses race was fun and the kids really enjoyed it. These are the days I keep locked in my memory vault. Warm “Family Fun Days” that I know will begin to happen less frequently in the coming months and years of teen angst.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I can here the race announcer, “ Daddy's Little Girl is fading fast behind ImAll Grownup. At the Wire it's ImAll Grownup, followed by WannaBe With My Friends and IKnow Everyhting and yet to finish the race, Embarrassing Daddy.”.
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