Once upon a time there was a great man who married the
woman of his dreams. With their love, they created a
little
girl. She was a bright and cheerful little girl and
the
great man loved her very much.
When she was very little, he would pick her up, hum a
tune and dance with her around the room, and he would
tell
her, "I love you, little girl!"
When the little girl was growing up, the great man
would hug her and tell her, "I love you, little girl.
"The
little girl would pout and say, "I'm not a little girl
anymore." Then the man would laugh and say, "But to
me,
you'll always be my little girl."
The little girl who-was-not-little-anymore left her
home and went into the world. As she learned more
about
herself, she learned more about the man. She saw that
he
truly was great and strong, for now she recognized his
strengths. One of his strengths was his ability to
express
his love to his family. It didn't matter where she
went in
the world, the man would call her and say, "I love
you,
little girl."
The day came when the little girl who-was-not-little-
anymore received a phone call. The great man was
damaged. He
had had a stroke. He was aphasic, they explained to
the
girl. He couldn't talk anymore and they weren't sure
that he
could understand the words spoken to him. He could no
longer
smile, laugh, walk, hug, dance or tell the little girl
who-
was-not-little-anymore that he loved her.
And so she went to the side of the great man. When she
walked into the room and saw him, he looked small and
not
strong at all. He looked at her and tried to speak,
but he
could not.
The little girl did the only thing she could do. She
climbed up on the bed next to the great man. Tears ran
from
both of their eyes and she drew her arms around the
useless
shoulders of her father.
Her head on his chest, she thought of many things. She
remembered the wonderful times together and how she
had
always felt protected and cherished by the great man.
She
felt grief for the loss she was to endure, the words
of love
that had comforted her.
And then she heard from within the man, the beat of
his
heart. The heart where the music and the words had
always
lived. The heart beat on, steadily unconcerned about
the
damage to the rest of the body. And while she rested
there,
the magic happened. She heard what she needed to hear.
His heart beat out the words that his mouth could no
longer say ...
I love you
I love you
I love you
Little girl
Little girl
Little girl
And she was comforted.
