Everyone Needs A Daughter

I had surgery less than a week ago that left a 7-inch incision on my abdomen, just at the belt line. Because the abdomen muscles were cut, it makes many simple motions, like standing up straight, coughing, sneezing, and laughing, a lot more difficult and painful. Today is Fast Sunday and I had a difficult time waking up on time as I didn’t finally get to sleep until 6am. I don’t move very fast, and still get a little light headed every now again for no reason. I know. Weak-sauce. Lol.

My wife decided to go to church without me and just take three of our four kids. I would’ve left my youngest son, Heikoti aka Koko-bear, because he’s the hardest to deal with in church. He hates sacrament meeting, hates nursery, and especially hates it when you’re sitting quietly in class, actively engaging in the lesson.

This is the precise moment that you hear a three-year child screaming at the top of his lungs, being escorted down the hallway towards the Sunday school class to be comforted by his parents. You recognize the cry as your own child, but sit quietly and wait for the teacher to come to the door and whisper your name and hand him over to you. Once in your hands, he smiles with victory as if his plan worked. We need another baby, so this one can be dethroned, but that’s another blog lol.

Instead of leaving my youngest, to make it easier for her, my wife left my 2^nd oldest child, and only daughter, the ever-so sweet Salote. Leaving my daughter to care for me shows the type of person my wife is; selfless, nurturing, always thoughtful, always considerate. Her daughter is exactly like her.

While still in bed, I gently call her name “Salote-hunny” (my nickname for her) “Yes Dad?” she lovingly replies and rushes into my room and stands at my bedside ready to assist. “Can you please get my medicine?” I ask in a raspy morning voice. She rushes to the kitchen, brings my medicine and tall glass of water. “I’m staying home from church today to take care of you. Do you need anything else?” she very politely asks.

She is just like her mother. Many times, during the hectic semester schedule, I find myself so exhausted after returning home from school, that I can’t seem to stay awake long enough to make my way to my bedroom. I walk into my home, greeted by my adoring children with hugs and kisses, and then plop! Right on the couch in the living room. I wake up, sometime later, laying down on a pillow with a thin, cool blanket over me. I apologize to my wife for knocking out, and thank her for the blanket and pillow; she tells me it wasn’t her that covered me with the blanket, it was my daughter Salote.

Not that sons aren’t capable of this, they most definitely are! This maternal instinct, to care for, to love and nurture, is just much more prevalent in my daughter. I’m grateful for this.

While sitting here watching tv (I know, it’s Sunday, I shouldn’t be watching tv, but it was the awesome ‘80’s and it was fascinating) my Salote-hunny, snuggles up next to me, kisses my nose and tells me she loves me. I hope she always feels this way. I hope she takes cares of my wife and I when we’re old. I hope she knows this, because I don’t want my sons to lol. They’d see me in my old age, sitting on the couch, throw me the remote and ask “You good Dad?”

I hope that we’re blessed with more daughters to come, but if we’re not and my Salote-hunny is my only earthly daughter(refer to my first post, you’ll know what I’m talking about lol) then I’m glad that I have an amazing daughter like her, that is just like her amazing mother.

Everyone, needs a daughter.