Daddy I'll Wait For You

To Daddy,

Daddy I'll wait for you to read me that story that you promised me you would read to me so long ago.
Daddy I'll wait for the day that you come back to Mommy and me and my baby brother that is in Mommy's stomach.
Daddy I'll wait for you to come and teach me to read and to teach me to play soccer.
Daddy I'll wait for you to hold my baby brother and my Mommy on his birthday.
Daddy I'll wait for you to teach him how to walk and how to talk and how to play baseball.
Daddy I'll wait for you to take me to my first day of Pre-school and to hold my hand as we walk to the park.
Daddy I'll wait for you to lift me up high into the air and make airplane noises as I zoom around the room.
Daddy I'll wait for you to take me out on my first Halloween and to come and get lots of candy with me to give to Mommy.
Daddy I'll wait for you to cook the turkey for hours and hours with Mommy laughing at you and me taste-testing the pudding.
Daddy I'll wait for you to dress up as Santa Clause and give me and my baby brother gifts and make us laugh all day.
Daddy I'll wait for you to take Mommy outside on New Years and kiss her on the nose and tell her that you love her with me and my baby brother looking out the porch glass door.
Daddy I'll wait for you to celebrate my birthday with me and my baby brother will put my pink power puff cake all over his bleach blond hair.
Daddy I'll wait for you to plant a garden with me that will grow so high.
Daddy I'll wait for you when you have to go back to work and I'll pray for you each night that you'll be safe.
Daddy I'll wait for you to stop Mommy crying at night when she thinks that my baby brother and I can't hear her.
Daddy I'll wait for you to climb into my bed when my little 3 year old baby brother sneaks in and asks why Mommy is crying again.
Daddy I'll wait for you to take me to my first day of Junior High.
Daddy I'll wait for you to tell me to be safe as I rush out the car to get to my first period class before the tardy bell rings.
Daddy I'll wait for you to walk up to my first date and hold his gaze with your eyes and tell him he better get me home on time while I just laugh.
Daddy I'll wait for you to take me to first dorm and to college and to tell me that it's alright and I'll do great.
Daddy I'll wait for you to walk me down the aisle to the man of my dreams.
Daddy I'll wait for you when I have my first child and Mommy tells me that my little baby girl looks just like me.
Daddy I'll wait for you to come over to our house and get our little baby girl's room ready for her to come home from the hospital.
Daddy I'll wait for you to see my little baby brother's high school graduation and see his smiling face.
Daddy I'll wait for you to give my little baby brother a blessing before he goes on his mission.
Daddy I'll wait for you to give my little baby brother a hug when he got home 2 years later.

Daddy I'll wait for you for all of time, but you will never come back.
You died when I was 5 in a bombing in Afghanistan.
Mommy told me that you weren't going to be there to read me that story or to see my little baby brother born or to teach me to read or teach me to play soccer or to hold my little baby brother on his birthday or to teach him how to walk and how to talk and how to play baseball. She said you wouldn’t be there to take me to my first day of Pre-school or to hold my hand as we walk to the park or to lift me up high into the air and make airplane noises as I zoom around the room. She said that you wouldn’t be there to take me out on my first Halloween and to come and get lots of candy with me to give to Mommy or to cook the turkey for hours and hours with Mommy laughing at you and me taste-testing the pudding or to dress up as Santa Clause and give me and my baby brother gifts and make us laugh all day or to take Mommy outside on New Years and kiss her on the nose and tell her that you love her with me and my baby brother looking out the porch glass door. She said you wouldn’t be there to celebrate my birthday with me or to plant a garden with me that will grow so high or to stop Mommy crying at night when she thinks that my baby brother and I can't hear her or to climb into my bed when my little 3 year old baby brother sneaks in and asks why Mommy is crying again. She said you wouldn’t be there to take me to my first day of Junior High or to tell me to be safe as I rush out the car to get to my first period class before the tardy bell rings or to walk up to my first date and hold his gaze with your eyes and tell him he better get me home on time while I just laugh or to take me to first dorm and to college and to tell me that it's alright and I'll do great. She said you wouldn’t be there to walk me down the aisle to the man of my dreams or to come over to our house and get our little baby girl's room ready for her to come home from the hospital. She said you wouldn’t be there to see my little baby brother's high school graduation and see his smiling face or to give my little baby brother a blessing before he goes on his mission or to give my little baby brother a hug when he got home 2 years later.

Daddy, I'll read my little brother that story and I'll teach him how to walk and how to talk and how to play baseball and all those other things you would had wanted to teach him.
Daddy, I'll take care of Mommy and help her every day. I'll get her to smile again too.
Daddy, I'll try my best and do what I think you would want me to do.
There is only one more thing I can tell you and this is it.
I love you Daddy.

Love,
Your Little Girl