“She wants to sing you a song,” my wife whispered to me.
I glanced across the yard and made eye contact with my 12-year old daughter who promptly smiled and shyly looked away from me.
“Well, tell her to come over here and sing,” I replied to my wife.
At the moment I was sitting with a few family and friends around a small camp fire in our backyard. It had already been a great weekend, but it was about to receive a tearful exclamation point!
My daughter walked over and stood amongst the circle around the fire, grinning from ear to ear. She would barely make eye contact with me but she knew I was watching her. My wife raised her phone toward the bluetooth speakers sitting 10 feet away on the deck and tapped the screen.
Sweet, soft, acoustic guitar melodies began spilling out. I recognized the song instantly. My daughter sang these words…
I’m five years old, it’s getting cold, I’ve got my big coat on
I hear your laugh and look up smiling at you, I run and run
Past the pumpkin patch and the tractor rides, look now, the sky is gold
I hug your legs and fall asleep on the way home
I don’t know why all the trees change in the fall
I know you’re not scared of anything at all
Don’t know if Snow White’s house is near or far away
But I know I had the best day with you today
I’m thirteen now and don’t know how my friends could be so mean
I come home crying and you hold me tight and grab the keys
And we drive and drive till we found a town far enough away
And we talk and window shop until I forgot all their names
I don’t know who I’m gonna talk to now at school
But I know I’m laughing on the car ride home with you
Don’t know how long it’s gonna take to feel okay
But I know I had the best day with you today
I have an excellent father, his strength is making me stronger
God smiles on my little brother, inside and out, he’s better than I am
I grew up in a pretty house and I had space to run
And I had the best days with you
There is a video I found from back when I was three
You set up a paint set in the kitchen and you’re talking to me
It’s the age of princesses and pirate ships and the seven dwarfs
And Daddy’s smart and you’re the prettiest lady in the whole wide world
Now I know why all the trees change in the fall
I know you were on my side even when I was wrong
And I love you for giving me your eyes
For staying back and watching me shine
And I didn’t know if you knew, so I’m taking this chance to say
That I had the best day with you today
[Taylor Swift – The Best Day Lyrics | Courtesy of MetroLyrics]
As you could imagine, it was a chore for me to fight back tears. As I listened to my daughter sing these lyrics, I was reminded of something that I’ve written about numerous times, and shared with other fathers more times than I could count:
These precious people…my gorgeous children…my amazing wife…this life we share…there’s nothing greater and nothing more important!
This weekend my family gave me the greatest Father’s Day present…they gave me time with them!
Fathers, have you had an experience like this? What were you reminded of?
