The Swing


This morning Olivia and I went outside. It was only more or less 40 degrees outside the nip in the air was even more potent when the breeze would pick up and wrap its chilly arms around us. We both had on jeans and sweat shirts I had on an F&M one, while she had a Penn State

sweatshirt that her aunt had gotten her.

I went and sat down at the community picnic table where the sunlight was the strongest and watched her walk around. She carefully walked around staring at the ground. Occasionally she would stoop down and pick up a leaf only to crush it in her small hands and drop it on the ground. Eventually in the course of her walking she went to the next door neighbor’s porch. Their porch is less than a foot off the ground and make of concrete, the biggest reason she went there is because they have a porch swing and she always wants on it.

I walked up there and set her down on the green wooden seat of the swing, and then sat beside her. We started to rock back and forth slowly as I watched the rusty chains for any sign of breakage. When I noticed there was nothing I, started to hum. “Be Thou My Vision” is a song that has been on my heart for a long time now, several years actually. When Olivia was first born I would sing it to her and calm her down, but today she laid her head on my side and just listened. We sat there for maybe five minutes; it was peaceful, bonding, and healing. These are the moments I love about being a father, and I am trying to write them down so I don’t forget because I know someday I won’t be popular with her, or she won’t feel she can tell me something. I only hope I will be understanding and take the time to listen to her as she listened to me today.

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