My daughter couldn’t sleep last night.

 

She came down into my office and sat on my lap while I worked on my laptop.  We chatted a little bit, and then I lapsed into silence while I worked, and she looked around at my shelves.

“Daddy, what’s that?” she asked.

My first reaction was to say, “Shh, I’m working.”  After typing out a few more words, I mentally smacked myself for not having my priorities straight.  “What’s what, darling?” I asked.

She pointed to this red heart up on a shelf.  I reached up for it, and handed it to her.  She held this heart close to her and snuggled while I continued working, my daughter on my lap, and a smile on my face.

“Daddy, I’m hungry,” she said quietly, some time later.

“Let’s go make a snack.”

While we ate in the kitchen, she told me a story that I will cherish all of my life.

“Daddy, while we were in your office, and I was holding this heart, sitting on your lap, I fell in love with you.”

It’s not often that I am struck speechless.  But all I could do was reach for this precious little girl and hug her tightly as I cried.