January 31: Daddy/Daughter Dance

I'm extremely pleased to conclude Month 1 of this journey with an event that is both a first timer for me and an honor in which to have been able to participate. Today, I escorted my daughter to our first ever Daddy/Daughter dance. My daughter had been looking forward to this day since she first asked me if I would attend with her, approximately 3 weeks ago. I would be lying if I said I didn't have some reservations about wanting to go, as I didn't exactly know what to expect and it's not like I'm Michael Jackson on the dance floor. However, she is my daughter and I would do pretty much anything she asked me to do, so the decision to be a loving Father and do the right thing for her was never a difficult one; actually it was never really a decision at all, as that would require even considering a "no" and that thought just never crossed my mind. Anyway, the entire experience turned out to be wonderful! First, I was able to share an entire afternoon with my daughter; just me and her - if you don't count the other 200+ fathers and daughters in attendance. But, we hardly ever get to have time like that with just the two of us, so it was very special. Secondly, my daughter is not shy when it comes to dancing, as we started out doing the same twirls, spins and dips that we do at home. That is, until the dance floor became rather crowded and we had to abstain from our planned routines. Of course, we also had the privilege of dancing to a few slower selections, specifically Heartland's "I Loved Her First", Tim McGraw's "My Little Girl", and, my favorite "Butterfly Kisses" by Bob Carlisle. Believe it or not, I fought off the inevitable waterfall of the eyes, that usually accompanies such songs when I hear them, and stayed strong through it all. It was funny, though, as at first, being the strong-willed little princess that she is, she wasn't sure how we should dance to these ballads. So, we spent the opening frame of the first song simply holding hands while rocking in a circle. However, when she recognized that other little girls preferred to snuggle up closer to their Dads, she asked if I would pick her up and she latched on tight; which, of course made it even more difficult to fight back any tears that wanted to join us. In addition to the dancing, we were able to spend some time in between songs over at the chocolate fountain, dipping pretzels and pineapple to both our delight; and we came close in the prize and 50-50 raffles, but couldn't quite win. Still, we were able to bring home 2 commemorative water bottles, a framed photo of the two of us, and a whole lot of memories! It was truly an experience I will never forget, and a day that I hope remains in my daughter's memory for a long, long time.