Lest we forget ...

I've seen the following poem a few times recently and it is never more relevant than today .....

A Daddy's Poem (author unknown)



Her hair was up in a pony tail,
Her favourite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy's Day at school
And she couldn't wait to go.

Her Mummy tried to tell her
That she should probably 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
Why he wasn't there today.

But still her Mother worried
For her to face this day alone.
And that was why 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 Dads along the wall at 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 was searching for
A man who wasn't there.

'Where's her Daddy at today?'
She heard a boy call out.
'She probably doesn't have one,'
Another pupil 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 Mum
And looked back at her teacher,
Who told her to go on.

And, with hands behind her back,
Slowly she did speak.
Out of 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,
Since this is such a special 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 here alone.

'Cause my Daddy's always with me,
Even though we are apart.
I know because he told me,
He'll be forever in my heart'

With that, her little hand reached up
And lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat
Beneath her favorite dress.

Somewhere here in the crowd of Dads,
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 its message clear and 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's a British soldier
And died just this past year
When a roadside bomb hit his convoy
And taught Britons how 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 at 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.

Not one in that room could explain it,
For each of their eyes had been closed
But, there on the desk beside her
Was a fragrant, long-stemmed rose.

And a child was blessed, in that moment,
By the love of her shining star
And given the gift of believing
That heaven is never too far.

Thanks for dropping by .....