Daddy's Little Girls Grow Up to be Daddy's Biggest Fan -

Daddy’s Little Girls

We were blessed with four sons and one daughter. Our sons all have great relationships with their dad but just for now I want to focus on the importance of a father/daughter relationship. I’ve always known that our daughter, Rachel, was close to her dad but it wasn’t until Bill got Covid and almost died that I realized just how devoted to him she was.

Rachel was our second child. Any girl who has four brothers is either going to be a tomboy, extra tough, or both. Rachel leaned more toward the “extra tough.” She was a precious little girl and Bill and I loved having a daughter.

When she was about seven months old we nearly lost her to meningitis. There were endless days and nights of prayers and then praises to God for letting us keep her. Her illness was as hard on Bill as it was me. I think we both aged several months in the space of a week.

As the mom of five, the days were long but the years were short. Before we knew it she was graduating from college and getting married. Bill was stoic up until the moment he walked her down the aisle.

I’ve seen Bill cry a handful of times but walking his daughter down the aisle brought him to tears.

Fast forward to last fall.

Daddy’s little girl is a grown woman with a family of her own. She and Gabe have three beautiful children who call us Nana and Poppa. When Bill got sick she was right there in the thick of things, asking what she could do and helping out any way she could, along with her brothers.

Our boys were wonderful to take care of Bill’s farm animals and to see about the farm, we couldn’t have survived without them. They came to the hospital every chance they got but most often it was Rachel who insisted on being the one who spent the night so that I could have some sleep. When Bill was on the ventilator she was the one who called every couple of hours for a report. It’s hard to explain but I just couldn’t call. I was the one the doctor called the night Bill’s lung collapsed. I was the one who heard the doctor say, “His situation is dire.” I was sick with grief and it was intensified because due to Covid I couldn’t be with him. It crippled me in many ways and so I asked Rachel to be the one to call and get updates.

So while I went to the church and prayed….Rachel called every two hours to check on her dad. When I drove to the hospital and sat outside and looked up at his window and prayed, Rachel prayed and then updated her brothers and me on her Dad’s status.

The thing that I remember the most about my precious daughter during her father’s sickness was her inner core of strength and determination that Bill would get better. She knew the exact moment to whisper in my ear, “Don’t give up. He’s going to pull through this.” Not just once, but several times she reminded me of how tough Bill was and how big God is.

She told me about a very vivid dream she had and in the dream Bill walked out of the hospital. She said she had dreamed the same dream more than once and she believed with all her heart that it would happen. And it did.

He came home in a wheel chair, but he came home and that’s what matters.

Remembering

Even though Bill is improving every week, I still have moments of internal panic. I wake up in the middle of the night and memories come back and remind me of just how close we came to losing him. Maybe Rachel and our sons do as well, but they don’t talk to me about it very often and that’s okay. They are married and hopefully if they have those memories they will talk to their spouses. I love my son-in-law and daughters-in-law dearly and I know they helped their spouses through a very hard time. I can’t thank them enough for all their love, support and help.

I’m thankful for so many things. I’m grateful for Bill’s recovery and the way our children pulled together to help us. I wish I had experienced the type of relationship Rachel has with her father with my own dad. I loved him and I knew he loved me but he was much closer to my brother. I was a Momma’s girl first and a Daddy’s girl second.

Songs About Daddy’s Girl

When Rachel got married she and her dad danced to “My Girl” by the Temptations.

“I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day/When it’s cold outside I’ve got the month of May/Well I guess you’d say/What can make me feel this way?/My girl/Talkin’ ’bout my girl”

I cried when Rachel went to college. I cried when she got married. And I cried when Bill danced with her at her wedding. I cry a lot. I’m a sentimental sap who loves her family and friends to the point of no return.

Rachel, thank you for reminding me to be strong and not give up. I love your dad, too, but you hold a special place in his heart. You will always be daddy’s little girl.