Today I had the privilege to spend some quality time with my daddy. Oh how I absolutely adore that man. I have been daddy's little girl for as long as I can remember. When I was younger and much lighter, he would let me sit on his shoulders while we were walking, just so I could see everything that was going on. You know those really cool hair wraps you can get at Disney world? Yep, my dad taught himself how to wrap hair just so he could do it for my sister and I. He used to kneel by my bed and pray with me every night before I went to sleep, and still to this day while I'm away at school he reminds me to say my prayers every night. All my life he has been my biggest cheerleader, supporter, best friend, and hero. Basically, my dad is precious, the best dad in the entire world. Together, we have been through some of the best of times and some of the worst. He always has a way of making the bad situations good though, and putting a smile on my face when it seems nearly impossible. I could list all the memories my dad and I have, everything he has done for me, and all the reasons why I love him but it wouldn't do it justice, and I would probably run out of space to type. My dad is amazing, words cannot even describe how special this man is to me, and always will be. I love my dad!

So, while spending time with my dad this afternoon, we were riding in the car on our way to dinner and listening to music. A song started playing from his ipod, a sweet Christian song. I have never been one to listen to the lyrics of songs, I am more attracted to the rhythm and the voice of the artist. As I looked over at my dad toward the end of the song, he had tears in his eyes. He told me this was one of his favorites songs and it always makes him cry. Might I just add that my dad never cries. He is the strongest person I know and I can only count of two times I have ever seen him cry: the day my grandmother (his mom) passed away and the day he dropped me off at college. Now I'm sure there have been other times, though, not many, but those other times must have been in private. He started the song over and told me to listen to the lyrics. This song touched my heart tonight during my time with my dad. They brought tears to my eyes and I felt as if it was worthy of sharing.

My dad seemed ten feet tall

When I was just a kid

And if you asked me who my hero was

I'd quickly tell you it was him

He must have had a thousand stories

I must have heard a million times

But I'll never forget as long as I live

Us kneeling down that day

Him teaching me to pray

Chorus:

(He said) It's not far from here to Jesus

His loving arms are open wide

Close your eyes and he will lead you

Safely to his side

There's no need for you to fear him

You can trust him with your heart

And it's not far

It's not far

I couldn't help but wonder how

The years have gone so fast

With every breath dad fought to take

I knew could be his last

And as we gathered round his bedside

And fumbled through what we would say

I bowed my head and began to cry

And whispered in his ear

My last goodbye (and said)

Bridge:

There is no distance

From the love of God

He's always there to hear our prayer

And answer when we call

From here to Jesus

It's not far

It's not far from here to Jesus

It's not far from here

It's not far from here to Jesus

It's not far

It's not far

It's not far from here

It's not far from here to Jesus

It's not far from here