Who Is This Little Person?

In the blurry first moments of the morning, I didn't notice her.  Not really.  Not as she was.  It took a moment.

I washed oatmeal from my daughter's bowl and poured myself a cup of coffee without knowing the next couple of moments would be as intense as they were.  I turned around after cleaning up and was confronted with this image:

For the parents out there in cyberspace, you probably already know what this blog post is about.  It's about the moments when you turn around and realize your child is something other than what you thought them to be.  In this case, my daughter is a little girl, not a baby.  I'd been reminded of this all weekend long as we vacationed with three other families, but it wasn't until this moment, with this outfit, that I seemed to really see what was happening in front of my eyes.

I was saddened for a moment, but then she turned to me and said, "Come on," in that quiet voice of hers.  She took my hand and led me out the door so I could drive her to school.  She's a lovely little girl, the fruit of a loving, yet strict, upbringing, and she exceeds my expectations in so many ways. 

I've been flipping my phone on and off all morning, gazing at her picture, but I finally had to sit down and put some words to the image.  She fills me up, inspires me, and brings me back to the keyboard.  Life is good.