A Sense of Wonder

I remember a boy with a perpetual frown.  It's as if he was looking hard at life and wondering what it was all about.  He was curious and asked questions beyond his years.  His hair was always "interesting."  As a baby, it was feathery and fly-away.  As a boy, it was close cut and symmetrical, except for the top which was stand up and the back, which was longer.  His glasses were more like goggles.  But, it was his legs and feet that I remember most.  He was always lanky, but his legs were slim and he had knobby knees.  His feet seemed to stick out of his legs, long and flat.  I always wondered when he would grow into his feet. 

As a young man, his passions were basketball, football and his truck.  He kept his quest for learning and questioning life and developed a spiritual sense.  He  always loved to travel and wasn't afraid of any journey.  He welcomed adventure in many forms and worked to make positive changes in himself and as much as he could at the point in his life, in the world.    

And now he is a man.  He is his father's son, with the same sense of humor and deep feelings of loyalty.   He still looks inward to examine life and still has that sense of wonder.  But, now, that sense of wonder has a name:  Alexandra.  His daughter.  

Somehow, I always thought his children would be boys.  Boys that he could mold, like his father did for he and his brother.  Boys that he could coach in sports and boys that he could teach to drive.  Boys that he could hang with and be a pal.  But a daughter?  You have to be a father to a daughter.  You have to teach her to be wary of the world, yet remain strong.  You have to teach her to value herself and follow her dreams.  You  have to teach her what values to look for in the boys that will certainly come around.  And, you have to show her what "real men" are really like.  

But now, his having a daughter makes perfect sense, for he can do all of those things.  He is strong with her, yet gentle.  He is her playground and he celebrates every milestone she makes.   He plays music for her and has already had their first father/daughter dance.  He values her mother and respects her achievements.  He will look for his daughter to favor her mother in the successes she has had.   

And now, it is his daughter that is full of wonder.  She looks up at him and smiles when he comes in the room.  She reaches excitedly for him and babbles, "da da da da da."  She watches him and examines his face with her tiny hands. She strums his guitar and smiles when it makes noise from her hands like it did from his.   She is calm when she is with him and has a look of contentment being in his strong arms.  

This past weekend, he and her mother committed her to God and had her baptized.  He knelt and prayed and I know those prayers were for her to always be safe and happy.  

His perpetual frown is gone, replaced by a beautiful smile when he looks at his wife and daughter.  He is their champion and always will be, for they are his passion now. 

God bless you, Alexandra.