Her hair up in a pony tail,
 her favorite dress tied with a bow
 Today was Daddy's Day at school,
 and she couldn't wait to go
 

 But her mommy tried to tell her,
 that she probably should stay home
 Why the kids might not understand,
 if she went to school alone
 

 But she was not afraid;
 she knew just what to say
 What to tell her classmates,
 on this Daddy's Day
 

 But still her mother worried,
 for her to face this day alone
 And that was why once again,
 she tried to keep her daughter home
 

 But the little girl went to school,
 eager to tell them all
 About a dad she never sees,
 a dad who never calls
 

 There were daddies along the wall in back,
 for everyone to meet
 Children squirming impatiently,
 anxious in their seats
 

 One by one the teacher called,
 a student from the class
 To introduce their daddy,
 as seconds slowly passed
 

 At last the teacher called her name,
 every child turned to stare
 Each of them were searching,
 for a man who wasn't there
 

 "Where's her daddy at?"
 she heard a boy call out
 "She probably doesn't have one,"
 another student dared to shout
 

 And from somewhere near the back,
 she heard a daddy say
 "Looks like another deadbeat dad,
 too busy to waste his day."
 

 The words did not offend her,
 as she smiled at her friends
 And looked back at her teacher,
 who told her to begin
 

 And with hands behind her back,
 slowly she began to speak
 And out from the mouth of a child,
 came words incredibly unique
 

 "My Daddy couldn't be here,
 because he lives so far away
 But I know he wishes he could
 be with me on this day
 

 And though you cannot meet him,
 I wanted you to know
 All about my daddy,
 and how much he loves me so
 

 He loved to tell me stories,
 he taught me to ride my bike
 He surprised me with pink roses,
 and taught me to fly a kite
 

 We used to share fudge sundaes,
 and ice cream in a cone
 And though you cannot see him,
 I'm not standing all alone
 

 'Cause my daddy's always with me,
 even though we are apart
 I know because he told me,
 he'll forever be here in my heart"
 

 With that her little hand reached up,
 and lay across her chest
 Feeling her own heartbeat,
 beneath her favorite dress
 

 And from somewhere in the crowd of dads,
 her mother stood in tears
 Proudly watching her daughter,
 who was wise beyond her years
 

 For she stood up for the love
 of a man not in her life
 Doing what was best for her,
 doing what was right
 

 And when she dropped her hand back down,
 staring straight into the crowd
 She finished with a voice so soft,
 but its message clear and loud
 

 "I love my daddy very much,
 he's my shining star,
 And if he could he'd be here,
 but heaven's just too far,
 

 But sometimes when I close my eyes,
 it's like he never went away."
 And then she closed her eyes,
 and saw him there that day
 

 And to her mother's amazement,
 she witnessed with surprise
 A room full of daddies and children,
 all starting to close their eyes
 

 Who knows what they saw before them,
 who knows what they felt inside
 Perhaps for merely a second,
 they saw him at her side.
 

 "I know you're with me Daddy,"
 to the silence she called out
 And what happened next made believers,
 of those once filled with doubt
 

 Not one in that room could explain it,
 for each of their eyes had been closed
 But there placed on her desktop,
 was a beautiful fragrant pink rose
 

 And a child was blessed, if only a moment, by the
 love of her shining bright star
 And given the gift of believing,
 that heaven is never too far