This just is really so beautiful...

Hi, We were in Miami Florida last weekend and so I brought 2 books: 1st one was "Three Wishes" by Liane Moriarty, very very good, 2nd one was "Dandelion Summer" by Lisa Wingate - which I did not finish, but am still reading, but what a Book - Great Read! While reading Dandelion Summer on the plane came across something Lisa Wingate wrote and it is just so beautiful I have to share: It's a letter from an absent father to his now grown daughter: Dear ..... "Words do not come easily for so many men. We are taught to be strong, to provide, to put away our emotions. A father can work his way through his days and never see that his years are going by. If I could g back in time, I would say some things to that young father as he holds, somewhat uncertainly, his daughter for the very first time. These are the things I would say: When you hear the first whimper in the night, go to the nursery and leave your wife sleeping. Rock in a chair, walk the floor, sing a lullaby so that she will know a man can be gentle. When Mother is away for the evening, come home from work, do the babysitting. Learn to cook a hotdog or a pot of spaghetti, so that your daughter will know a man can serve another's needs. When she performs in school plays or dances in recitals, arrive early, sit in the front seat, devote your full attention. Clap the loudest, so that she will know a man can have eyes only for her. When she asks for a tree house, don't just build it, but build with her. Sit high among the branches and talk about clouds, and caterpillars, and leaves. Ask her about her dreams and wait for her answers, so that she will know a man can listen. When you pass by her door as she dresses for a date, tell her she is Beautiful. Take her on a date yourself, Open doors, buy flowers, look her in the eye, so that she will know a man can respect her. When she moves away from home, send a card, write a note, call on the phone. If something reminds you of her, take a minute to tell her, so that she will know a man can think of her even when she is away. Tell her you love her, so that she will know a man can say the words. If you hurt her, apologize, so that she will know a man can admit that he's wrong. These seem like such small things, such a fraction of time in the course of two lives. But a thread does not require much space. It can be too fine for the eye to see, yet, it is the very thing that binds, that takes pieces and laces them into a whole. Without it, there are tatters. It is never too late for a man to learn to stitch, to begin mending. These are the things I would tell that young father, if I could. A daughter grows up quickly, There isn't time to waste, I Love You, Dad ......isn't that beautiful???? I am one of the fortunate ones, I had a Dad who did all of the above, he died 11 years ago and I still miss him to this day. I also married a Man that does or has done all of the above for his 2 daughters, I AM BLESSED :) Have a great day, Mary