I thought I’d share this, even though it has nothing to do with football, but because it made me tear up a little bit .

Last night, my kids Emmery (3) and Ben (2)went to sleep at their normal bed times at 7pm. But within 2 hours, Emmery woke up, wide awake and did not want to go back to sleep.  She was awake, very talkative and “hungry”. I knew she wasn’t hungry, but maybe just looking for an excuse to say awake, so she wouldn’t have to sleep alone.  Plus, I snuck her a tiny piece of chocolate chip cookie that her Mommy just made that I was noshing on.

I laid down next to her in her bed and we began to chitchat and jaw it up, which is always fun with a 3 year old little lady.  We talked about Santa, blankets, Teddy Bears, shadows, being scared and being safe.  We spoke awhile about why sleeping is actually FUN; because of DREAMS. Dreams are better than stories, and are better than movies, and are better than games, just because it really feels like we’re inside of DREAMS. We can dream about jumping super high, or swimming really deep, or running really fast, or driving in cars or flying a long ways away… We can dream about anything and dreams are so amazing and so fun that it makes sleeping even BETTER. Dreams are the BEST!

She told me to hang-on and she jumped out of her bed and got one of her baby dolls in their doll crib next to the window. She hopped back into bed and proceeded to tuck her baby in next to her (and next to her Teddy Bears). Emmery has three baby doll cribs in her room and she asked me, “Daddy, who gave me all these cribs?”

I said I wasn’t sure, but you do have a lot of them.

She said, “I think Dama, Mommy and I think Auntie Gigi gave me these cribs for my babies.”

I said, I really miss Dama, who is my Mommy. Poppa, who is my Daddy. Auntie Mami, Auntie Gigi & Auntie Mo, who are my sisters. We haven’t seen a few of them in a year, since last Christmas.

Emmery said, “That’s ok Daddy, you can dream about them and it’s just like they’re here with us, right now.”

…that little girl gets me. In my words, and in my heart, she really hears what you have to say, and she will not forget it either.