I tiptoed in your room tonight and I looked down at you smiling in your sleep. You were so lovely my heart nearly broke; and I thought how much like Sleeping Beauty a little girl is. When I tuck you in at night I never know how old you'll be when you wake. One evening you crawl on your daddy's lap and throw your arms around his neck, the next morning you might be much too grown up for that sort of thing.

You're so quickly approaching the awkward age, too young to drive the car and yet too old to be carried in the house half asleep on daddy's shoulder. I have a secret that I've never told you, Sleeping Beauty, you're going on a very exciting trip. You'll travel from yesterday all the way to tomorrow. It's a rapid journey and you'll travel light, leaving behind your measles, mumps, freckles, bumps, bubble gum and me.

I promise not to feel too hurt when you discover that the world is more important than your daddy's lap. Yesterday you were blue jeans and pig tails, the neighborhood's best tree climber. Tomorrow you'll have pony tails and you'll view the world from a loftier perch a pair of high heel shoes. Yesterday you could mend a doll's broken leg with a hug; tomorrow you'll be able to break a young man's heart with a kiss.

The clock is counting the minutes for you and the sky upstairs is saving it's brightest stars; and the sun is waiting with its' shiniest day.  Oh I, I can't expect you to live in a doll house forever. Sooner or later, the butterfly sheds it's cocoon and the smallest bird must try its wings. But when you grow up and out of my arms; when you finally get too big for my shirts, I'll still recall how you used to scatter dust and dolls and partially through every room in the house; but you spread sunshine too. The dust is settled, your mom picked up the dolls; but the sunshine will always fill the corners of our hearts. 

So, here I am talking in your sleep, because, well if you saw this look on my face, you'd laugh and if I spoke with this lump in my throat, I'd cry. Yes! Honey, when I looked at you tonight you were a Sleeping Beauty. So, I tiptoed over and I kissed you. You didn't wake up, I knew you wouldn't. According to the legend only the handsome young prince can open your eyes and I'm just the father of the future bride. So you sleep on, pretty thing, tomorrow you'll wake and you'll be a young lady and you won't even realize that you've changed courses in the middle of a dream. But you might notice a little change in me; I'll look a little different somehow. A little sadder, a little wiser, but a whole lot richer. Tonight, I kissed a princess and I feel like a king.

Love, Dad

The End