Take my hand, take my whole life too

Ruby was a flower girl at a wedding this past weekend and did beautifully. And she looked especially resplendent in her glorious pinkish/purple boots.

During the reception, she got very sleepy and found her way onto my lap. Just a few moments after she fell asleep, the DJ played Elvis’s “I Can’t Help Falling in Love.” As if on cue, she woke up and looked at me as the song began.

Her only word was “Daddy,” and she then nuzzled in a little closer and went back to sleep.

I held her tightly and we swayed in time to the music, in a small and private moment. Everything else in the room stopped – it was just the two of us with her soft, tiny and gentle breaths on my neck.

Accompanied by the perfect song at the perfect time, and the complete realization and understanding of THIS IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT.

Someday she will give her heart to some lucky soul, but I am oh-so-thankful that she gave at least a tiny piece of hers to me at that one singular moment.

In the future, she may only remember Saturday night through some photographs.

But it will live inside of me forever.