And so the Princess walked and talked along the way with her Father, ever curiously asking questions... and yet speaking of the Realm as if an Ancient. The Father smiled deeply and counted himself profoundly... blessed.
My youngest daughter is quite exceptionally beautiful, actually. And not just outwardly so, mind you... but
inwardly as well. Typical of all my children, perhaps she is spoiled... I won't deny that. But each of them have a
Fire that resides just behind their eyes, a
knowing of sorts, that is rather hard to ignore or dismiss. And Jaina is no exception. Spending time alone with her,
for me, is a treat and a joy...
This past weekend the two of us spent a lot of time outdoors. Usually, time spent with Jaina outside entails pushing her in the 'Rope Swing' down at her Grandparents'. The 'Rope Swing', which has borne all of my children for quite a count of years, hangs from a branch some thirty feet skyward and is typically
the attraction amongst both adults and children alike. It
is rather fun, to be quite honest. At any rate, much swinging ensued to Jaina's squeals of,
"Push me higher, Da! Higher!". Truthfully, I could do this for hours and hours... I never tire of it. Just seeing the look on her little face, the twinkle in her eyes, hearing her laughter... these are reward enough for me.
Whenever Jaina tired of swinging, we would seek out and pick what she calls
Wish Flowers... which us grown-ups commonly call Dandelion. I much preferred her name for them and so left their 'real name' out of our conversations. To her they are simply
Wish Flowers and full of potent
Magic. Who am I to argue? Now
I will think of them as nothing else. And so our search led us down the long, unpaved driveway behind our houses. Needless to say, many were the
Wish Flowers picked along the way... each and every time stopping to silently wish before sending them off into the wind.
O, the wishes that were made! By the both of us! I just
had to smile...
At least once upon every journey that we undertake together, cloud-shapes are named... this Day was no different. Elephants and dragons and mountains, ships and sunflowers and bouncy-balls... always something new, something... unique. Feeling the warmth of Sun-rays, the brush of the breeze, watching the clouds, smelling the fragrancy of Spring... we got lost inside the moment. Truthfully, I could stay there - within those times - endlessly... as the Day grows long but never old. And I would never,
ever, wish it away...
Questions abounded, also.
"Where do rocks come from? What is sand made of? Where does sand come from? Who makes clouds? Who made the Stars? The Trees? Why do the birds sing? What are they saying when they sing?" I will relish them always...
It was on our walk, later in the afternoon, that Jaina first spotted the Moon high-up overhead. An aha! moment this always is for her, like she's caught something that I didn't notice. She loves pointing the Moon out during the Daylight hours. I told her that soon enough, it would indeed be there gleaming in the Nighttime sky. She seemed to like that idea very much. Later on, she got her wish in actually
seeing it shining brightly there amongst the field of Stars as we headed homeward. She pointed it out again, whimsically. Again, I smiled...
I truly believe that Jaina thinks herself a Princess.
How I endeavour to always treat her as such! For you see, the secret is... she really
is a Princess to me.
In my heart and eyes she will ever be!
I oft wonder why anyone would trade these for work, or money, or...
whatever. There is nothing in the known or unknown Universes that I would trade for my Daughter or her time.
Nothing. And I pray that she always see me as noble protector, faithful servant, knightly King... her loving
Da.
Then the Father stopped and called the Realm to witness and said, "She shines in radiant splendour! And so henceforth she shall be called Princess Jaina the Radiant! May her days evermore be as brilliant as the Rising Sun at Daybreak, so full of Promise and Hope!" And pausing thence, he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and spoke softly to her saying, "I pray thee remember the Magic of these Days, Daughter... my Princess. Never forget..."
Fathers, I implore you...
love your Daughters well, honour them highly, nurture them always. They truly
are the Princesses and Queens of this Realm,
now and forevermore... and of so much more value and worth than we can rightly imagine.
Be blessed,
Lamar
