Getting To The Heart Of The Matter

  Like most parents, I love giving good gifts to my children. This summer has been so very hot. When my daughter told me her small pool had a whole in it, and there was no way I could repair it, of course she asked could I by her another one.  I wasn't sure if we could afford a new and bigger pool, or if we would even find one this late in the summer season. I made many phone calls,  but no store I checked had any family sized pools. All seemed lost,  and indeed,  I was just about to give up on my quest for a family sized pool. I had one more store to check. I had a hunch that this particular store just might have the type of pool  my family and I were looking for. I carefully dialed the phone to make my last call , and of course my daughter was right by the phone listening eagerly. I was so relieved,  and happy when the voice on the other end of the phone informed me, that yes they had a pool and it was on sale for half price. The store manager agreed to hold the pool for us if we would come right away and get it  we ran to car. My family and I raced into the store. I grabbed a credit card and the pool was ours!
  The story does not end there  Now a new problem developed. We, have a very small car and that was a very large box.. We tried and tried to make the box fit alas, it would not . Finally,  my wife left my daughter and I at the store,  drove home , unloaded the pool, then drove back to the store, picked up my daughter and I and drove back home. We had just gotten home and it began to rain thus, no swimming would be done that day, The following day,  my wife worked for hours getting the pool together. We waited for what seemed like an eternity, for the pool to fill with water. Finally, the pool was ready! I am disabled, my handicap is such,  that there are very few things I can do with my daughter, so I was truly looking forward to swimming in a bigger pool with my daughter, enter another problem I could not climb the pool ladder. The ladders rungs were too narrow for me. The ladder was not grounded in any way so it was unsteady. I knew that  even if I could get to the top of the ladder you couldn't sit down at the top of the ladder, it seems you had to step over a large gap,  and then proceed down the other side of the ladder to climb down into the water.The climb was five feet into the air and with my weak and wobbly legs , I was naturally afraid of heights. I knew that even if I could get in the pool no one would be able to help me get out of the pool  It was clear I would not be swimming with my daughter. I was angry and frustrated,  I retreated to the house. My wife came inside a little while later and said, " your daughter does not want to swim now." She told me,"  if daddy can't swim then I won't swim either."  It seems, my daughter did not want to make me sad   She loved me so much,  she would give up swimming so I would not be frustrated because I could not swim with her. I suddenly thought,  dear God forgive me. I rushed back out side and said, " okay honey show daddy how well you can swim!  A bright smile  returned  to my daughters face,  and she proudly, showed me the dog paddle strokes my wife had been teaching her, it turned out to be a very fun afternoon.
  The lesson I learned that day,  was complex on one level  yet, simple on another. I realized my daughter doesn't mind If I can"t swim with her. She just wants to know  that daddy, just wants to be there to watch her swim. I now realize my daughter is not so concerned with the weakness of my legs, but rather the strength of my love for her in my heart. Thus, when I got to the heart of the matter, I found out my heart was all that mattered. As always, my friends, these thoughts remain, just some words to think on.