Daddy's Poem

I received this in an email this morning. Very fitting for Memorial Day. Wanted to share it with you all. It made me cry.


Her hair was 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
>>Of why he wasn't there today.
>>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 was searching,
>>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 up at her Mom.
>>And looked back at her teacher,
>>Who told her to go on.
>>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,
>>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 al ways with me,
>>Even though we are apart
>>I know because he told me,
>>He'll forever be in my heart'
>>With that, her little hand reached up,
>>And lay across her chest
>>Feeling her own heartbeat,
>>Beneath her favorite dress.
>>And from 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 is an American soldier
>>And died just this past year
>>When a roadside bomb hit his convoy
>>And taught us all 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 mothers 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, if only for a moment,
>>By the love of her shining star.
>>And given the gift of believing,
>>That heaven is never too far.