There is an old saying that goes something like this: ‘Anyone can be a father but it take someone special to be called daddy. When his eyes looked upon his first born child, his heart overflowed with love and pride.

The moment had finally come after five long years of hopeful anticipation. Now, as he cradled this precious gift of new life in his arms, he whispered softly into his infant daughter’s tiny ear, “Hi, I’m your daddy!”

In the years to follow he would live up to the name, for his devotion to family would become his world.

At first she called him dad-da, and the sound of it played like music to his ears. It was dad-da she’d call out to in the middle of the night when midnight storms caused her to wake up terrified.

Dad-da would reassure his little darling that the angels were just bowling and she’d smile, wrapped in the safety of his hug, as he’d tuck her back into bed. Throughout chicken pox, strap throat, scraped knees and broken hearts, his patience was always a constant comforting force to his family.

Soon, daddy became the name of choice by the toothless grin of his little sweetie pie. It was daddy who built sand castles at the beach, and who brought a whimsical art of play to her childhood. At times he could be such a kid himself.

His little girl cheered him on the day he he took a running start down the slip and slide and almost broke his neck. They both laughed hysterical that daddy had scraped his elbows, while yours truly had to yell at him to act his age. But, deep inside, I welcomed his boyish antics and his ability to always turn ordinary times into special events.

He answered to the name dad when a young woman traded bicycles for car keys. Some nights he’d fall asleep in his favorite chair while waiting for her to come home. And he’d remember that, once upon a time, she was daddy’s little girl. Her childhood is but a memory that now lives in the far corners of her grateful father’s heart. Like any good father he has high hopes for his beloved children. He combines two jobs to pay tuition bills and finance family vacations, but he never complains.

At the end of a long and weary day he comes through the door with a cheerful smile, happy to be home with his family.

Their paths don’t cross as often as he’d like but there are occasions when his almost grown daughter will reach over and whisper in his ear, “I love you daddy!”

These are the words that tell a man he’s a good father. They can also bring tears to a grown man’s eyes.

Kathy Whirity

Kathy Whirity is a newspaper columnist from Chicago where she lives with her husband Bill of 28 years, her 2 daughters and her 2 rambunctious Retrievers, Hannah and Holly. Kathy’s writings can also be viewed online. She has been published in Storytime Tapestry, Hearts with Soul, Warm Fuzzy Stories, and Write2theHeart, She has contributed to “The Golden Formula, The Joy of Alzheimer’s, When Tears Are Dried With Laughter and “Journey of the Mind. Kathy welcomes your e-mails. You may drop her a line at Kathywhirity@yahoo.com