{"id":975,"date":"2011-09-28T23:16:51","date_gmt":"2011-09-29T03:16:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/sweetshore\/?p=975"},"modified":"2011-09-28T23:16:51","modified_gmt":"2011-09-29T03:16:51","slug":"her-hair-was-up-in-a-pony-tail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/sweetshore\/2011\/09\/her-hair-was-up-in-a-pony-tail.html","title":{"rendered":"Her hair was up in a pony tail…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Found this poem on a Facebook page called “Seal of Honor” and thought I’d share it with you.
\nPlease remember to pray for all of our brave men and women who are putting it on the line every day…and don’t forget their families.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Her hair was up in a pony tail,
\nHer favorite dress tied with a bow.
\nToday was Daddy’s Day at school,
\nAnd she couldn’t wait to go.<\/p>\n

But her mommy tried to tell her,
\nThat she probably should stay home.
\nWhy the kids might not understand,
\nIf she went to school alone.<\/p>\n

But she was not afraid;
\nShe knew just what to say.
\nWhat to tell her classmates
\nOf why he wasn’t there today.<\/p>\n

But still her mother worried,
\nFor her to face this day alone.
\nAnd that was why once again,
\nShe tried to keep her daughter home.<\/p>\n

But the little girl went to school
\nEager to tell them all.
\nAbout a dad she never sees
\nA dad who never calls.<\/p>\n

There were daddies along the wall in back,
\nFor everyone to meet.
\nChildren squirming impatiently,
\nAnxious in their seats<\/p>\n

One by one the teacher called
\nA student from the class.
\nTo introduce their daddy,
\nAs seconds slowly passed.<\/p>\n

At last the teacher called her name,
\nEvery child turned to stare.
\nEach of them was searching,
\nA man who wasn’t there.<\/p>\n

‘Where’s her daddy at?’
\nShe heard a boy call out.
\n‘She probably doesn’t have one,’
\nAnother student dared to shout.<\/p>\n

And from somewhere near the back,
\nShe heard a daddy say,
\n‘Looks like another deadbeat dad,
\nToo busy to waste his day.’<\/p>\n

The words did not offend her,
\nAs she smiled up at her Mom.
\nAnd looked back at her teacher,
\nWho told her to go on.<\/p>\n

And with hands behind her back,
\nSlowly she began to speak.
\nAnd out from the mouth of a child,
\nCame words incredibly unique.
\n‘My Daddy couldn’t be here,
\nBecause he lives so far away.<\/p>\n

But I know he wishes he could be,
\nSince this is such a special day.
\nAnd though you cannot meet him,
\nI wanted you to know.<\/p>\n

All about my daddy,
\nAnd how much he loves me so.
\nHe loved to tell me stories
\nHe taught me to ride my bike.<\/p>\n

He surprised me with pink roses,
\nAnd taught me to fly a kite.
\nWe used to share fudge sundaes,
\nAnd ice cream in a cone.
\nAnd though you cannot see him.
\nI’m not standing here alone.<\/p>\n

‘Cause my daddy’s always with me,
\nEven though we are apart
\nI know because he told me,
\nHe’ll forever be in my heart’<\/p>\n

With that, her little hand reached up,
\nAnd lay across her chest.
\nFeeling her own heartbeat,
\nBeneath her favorite dress.<\/p>\n

And from somewhere here in the crowd of dads,
\nHer mother stood in tears.
\nProudly watching her daughter,
\nWho was wise beyond her years.<\/p>\n

For she stood up for the love
\nOf a man not in her life.
\nDoing what was best for her,
\nDoing what was right.<\/p>\n

And when she dropped her hand back down,
\nStaring straight into the crowd.
\nShe finished with a voice so soft,
\nBut its message clear and loud.<\/p>\n

‘I love my daddy very much,
\nhe’s my shining star.
\nAnd if he could, he’d be here,
\nBut heaven’s just too far.<\/p>\n

You see he is an American soldier
\nAnd died just this past year
\nWhen a roadside bomb hit his convoy
\nAnd taught Americans to fear.<\/p>\n

But sometimes when I close my eyes,
\nit’s like he never went away.’
\nAnd then she closed her eyes,
\nAnd saw him there that day.<\/p>\n

And to her mothers amazement,
\nShe witnessed with surprise.
\nA room full of daddies and children,
\nAll starting to close their eyes.<\/p>\n

Who knows what they saw before them,
\nWho knows what they felt inside.
\nPerhaps for merely a second,
\nThey saw him at her side.<\/p>\n

‘I know you’re with me Daddy,’
\nTo the silence she called out.
\nAnd what happened next made believers,
\nOf those once filled with doubt.<\/p>\n

Not one in that room could explain it,
\nFor each of their eyes had been closed.
\nBut there on the desk beside her,
\nWas a fragrant long-stemmed rose.<\/p>\n

And a child was blessed,
\nif only for a moment,
\nBy the love of her shining star.
\nAnd given the gift of believing,
\nThat heaven is never too far<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Found this poem on a Facebook page called “Seal of Honor” and thought I’d share it with you. Please remember to pray for all of our brave men and women who are putting it on the line every day…and don’t forget their families. Her hair was up in a pony tail, Her favorite dress tied…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":424,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,42,41,131,47,67,57,5,3],"tags":[509,242,241],"class_list":["post-975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-america","category-daughters","category-fathers","category-heaven","category-military-dads","category-military-heroism","category-patriotism","category-personal-observations","category-seen-it-before-but-i-love-to-watch-this-now-thats-what-i-call-a-welcome-home","tag-heaven","tag-roadside-bomb","tag-soldier"],"yoast_head":"\nHer hair was up in a pony tail... - Sweet Shore<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/sweetshore\/2011\/09\/her-hair-was-up-in-a-pony-tail.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Her hair was up in a pony tail... - Sweet Shore\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Found this poem on a Facebook page called “Seal of Honor” and thought I’d share it with you. 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