On Sunday, London my third oldest daughter turns 10. I know this because I’ve been hearing about her birthday approaching, nearly every day for the past two months. To say that she’s excited would be an understatement. Yet, it’s sort of a bittersweet milestone for me. I remember the day we brought her home from the hospital. We had just recently moved into this house, and my wife and I had just changed jobs. There was a lot of transition going on in our lives at the time, including the recent passage of my high school best friend. But then came London Hope, our ray of hope. Her nickname might be power (because of her strong personality), but we named her hope for a reason.

Last night we were riding back from basketball practice and as she enjoyed a cupcake (it was a teammate’s birthday) I glanced over at her in the front seat next to me. She has insisted on riding up front for about a year now and I always enjoy the company so I let her. She looks older… I’m not quite sure why though. Maybe it’s the glasses. It’s the first thing she asks for when she hops into the van before she picks up her book to read.

Usually we’re both pretty chatty on the car ride home, but not today. I guess we’re both pre-occupied. Me with exhaustion from the day. I’m not sure what her story is. She notices me looking over at her and she flashes her classic London grin. I reach over at the light and pat her on the head. She stretches her arm out to do the same but she can’t reach. So I lean forward and she’s satisfied when she gets to return the favor. That makes me smile.

Suddenly, a song I haven’t heard in a while pops up in my playlist. It’s Musiq Soulchild’s Just Friends. I turn it up and before I know it I’m singing along to every lyric. In between the chorus I tell London that this is the song that I used to sing to her mom (still do from time to time) when we were dating. In fact, it’s the first song I played for her. My favorite verse that perfectly captures the way I feel about all my ladies (my wife and daughters included)…

See I’ve been watching you for a while
And I just gotta let you know
That I’m really feeling your style

And just like that time stopped, and I got to have a moment with my daughter.

The bigs (my two teenagers) might be too cool to dance and sing along with me in the car (sometimes), but not London or my babygirl Sloane. At least not yet. They still run to the door and greet me when I’ve been away on a trip. They still demand that I tuck them into bed at night. I know that’ll change eventually. But for now, I’m enjoying moments like these.

SDW3