The most selfless act of kindness

I will forever remember this moment of pure joy and happiness for my daughter and for myself I will remember this selfless act of kindness for the rest of my life, and I can only hope that I will be able to pay this one forward.

Every year the Knights of Columbus at our Parish host a Father-Daughter Dinner/Dance.  Of course the first weekend they made the announcement after mass my heart sank, was Rory going to hear this, was she going to want to go, how do I explain again that Daddy can't be here for it and that there is always next year.  At this point in the deployment we have both grown weary of the explanations of why Daddy can't be there always followed by sobbing tears. In the end, we got through that Sunday without Rory hearing about it, and I was safe for the following Sunday because we went to mass at another Church.

The next Sunday, there was that moment again, and I knew she heard the announcement that time. I saw her ears perk up and smile come across her face, my heart was now in my shoes.  Then came the most incredible moment.  Our neighbor Ryan scooted his way next to me right after the announcement from the altar and whispered to me "Would it be OK with you if I took Rory to the Father-Daughter Dance with Audrey and I?"  Well, the flood gates opened and I couldn't stop crying.  To me, this was the most selfless act of kindness that I had ever experienced.  Ryan offered to give up his special time with his daughter Audrey to take Rory along with them.  I was beyond speechless. 

Rory took her Daddy along with her

Ryan, his daughter Audrey and Rory

Rory and Ryan and Daddy

Being a military family isn't easy, and being a military child is even more difficult.  As an adult I can express my emotions and I understand my feelings of loneliness, isolation, stress and worry.  I can ask for help.  Kids, especially the ages that our kids are, have no idea what to do with their emotions and even though in Rory's lifetime of all almost 6 years, her daddy has been away for about 2 years and that's no including nights in the field and weeks in Washington DC.  She has been so great and understanding of why Daddy can't physically can't be there at some things, but she is very proud of her Daddy and she is a Daddy's girl.  So when it came to the Father-Daughter Dance I think only another military Dad could understand how a little girl feels, and Bryan and I will forever be grateful to Ryan and his family who have made this deployment a little bit easier.