I’m up early.  The little one that calls me Papa – she’s coming to see me today.  There isn’t much finer than having little arms squeeze your neck or listen to her little voice describe something I’d consider a trivial task which became a grand adventure. I could listen to her for hours on end.

She likes it when I read to her.  Don’t know why.  I don’t always stick to the script.  Maybe its just the sitting in the lap that’s important.

She likes to be pursued. Chased.  Don’t know why.  Maybe its act of someone who is focused on catching you and he won’t stop till he scoops you up.

She likes me making faces at her. Don’t know why.  Maybe its good for her to see cares of this world momentarily set aside for silliness with her.  That every moment isn’t life or death. There is room in the margins for doodling.

She likes when we color.  Creating things that often appear more chaotic than cohesive.  I really don’t know why.  It’s in our DNA – creating. And it something we can do together.

She likes playing with animals – the stuffed variety.  Probably a placeholder till she has a real one.  I don’t know why. Maybe its part of who we are to want to care for something else.  Yeah, I bet that’s it.

She has recently given me an additional name.  I’m always Papa, but she gave me a name that only she calls me – Papi. No one told her to.  She came up with it on her own. And when she says it there is always a bit of a grin in her voice.  I don’t understand all the significance of it, but its her name for me.  And that’s all that matters.

She can’t read yet.  And it may be a decade or two before she ever sees this little musing I’ve written.  But when she does – hopefully these times will flood back into her mind.  She will know I got up before the sun rose to talk to my Papa about the one who calls me Papa.  She will know I’d rather hang out with her than at the office.  She’ll know that though the world is spinning into sheer madness that I chose to think of her and contemplate what we will do together. Boy, I wish she’d hurry up and get here…

By  the way, my Papa says he’s missing you.  He’s always up.  Waiting. He doesn’t care how long its been.  He’d just like to hear from you. He thinks of you all day.  Yeah, I know – ridiculous given all the cares of the world he has on his plate.  Be he always has time for you.  He told me to remind you.

See you soon, Dear one…