She was beautiful, the little girl that sat perfectly in my hands and dreamt with me. I still remember the day she was born; I looked at her with love I had never felt before. Her little hands held mine, and I was hooked from day one. Watching her grow over the years, I’ve come to appreciate the small things in life. Her first steps were when she walked to me while looking to see if I would catch her when she fell, the first tooth that caused her pain. Two years later, and that little girl was growing older, Mum and I looked at each other with amazement every morning she would awake. Every day was new, and she was changing. The years went on, and before we knew it, it was her first day of school. She was so excited as she jumped out of bed to wake everyone early.
That morning she glowed; she looked imposing in her uniform. Her hair was tied up in a bow, matching pink socks with a pink striped pattern. Her hair glistened in the sun as if to say, “Lookout world, here I come.” Pulling up to the school, she was in such a hurry she forgot her bag; I walked into her class, and she was already making friends. They played by the swings as I approached the teacher and gave her the bag. The teacher thanked me, and off I went. Anticipating the hour she returned, work seemed to drag on. But It was all worth it when I saw her face again. When I came home that night, she jumped on my lap and told me everything about her day, where she played, who she played with, and how many friends she had made. She was doing just fine, I thought to myself.
As the years went on, she grew older and older; over the years, she started her terrible stage, back answering and all sorts of rebellious behavior. That’s because high school was right around the corner; that’s right, my little girl was soon to be a Teenager. Where had the years gone? I would ask my wife this question every day. The teenage years seemed to fly by; where did they go? Pretty soon, she was going to college and wouldn’t be around anymore. She kissed us goodbye, and off she went to start her new experience in life. I was glad she was getting an education, but I was not looking forward to her leaving. But the years did pass, and so did the time. Eventually, she finished college, met a man, and, of course, they got married. He came to visit us; he was a very charming man. We could see why she loved him.
Pretty soon, she had a child. He was a Beautiful little boy we cherished so much; he would visit Grandma and Grandpa every weekend, leaving our house a little more spoiled than he came. Sometimes I would look at her, still dreaming of the baby we held in our arms, now all grown up and with a family of her own. Tears come down my eyes as I stare down at her tiny lifeless feet. As I touch her cold skin, I hug her small body. As her eyes, that no longer see, look into mine. I realized we lost more than a child that day at the hospital. We had lost a lifetime.