"You'll always be my baby" Sara Evans

I listened to this song and can't help but be transported back in time to the days where I was "daddy's little girl".  How much I loved and adored my father.  Most of the choices I made were with cautious that I don't damage his good name and my mothers.  Charlie was a fun and loving man.  My entire childhood, thanks to him, was like a season spent playing in a park.

There was one occasion where I was on the brink of being beaten by him.  It was my Freshman year in High School and to my surprise, my very first ever boyfriend, who was a Senior made a shocking decision to drop by my house one evening.  My parents weren't home and I was the only one home.  He was drunk and I desperately wanted to get rid of him before they got home.   As a young girl, I was forbidden to take on a "boyfriend".  But in my own rebellious teen-age heart, I refused to listen.  Not a serious relationship at all.  No.  It was the "hi" and "hello" type of friendship.  Everywhere I go I seem to have a tail following me and that was my little brother or a cousin or my aunt Linda Lahi.

While frantically attempting to get rid of him, my cousin Afu decided at that moment to drop by our house.  He was furious when he saw that my boyfriend was over at my house.  He immediately ran to find my other male cousins so that they can beat up my boyfriend.  Well, I already know what was coming, so I dragged and begged my boyfriend to leave right away.  Luckily it was getting dark outside, and not a second too soon, my parents pulled up in the driveway, as my boyfriend was exiting quietly to the back road.  The most fortunate thing happened as soon as my parents pull into our driveway.  The electricity went out!  Oh my Lord that was a sign from Heaven that He was watching over me.  That I was probably not going to get beat because the whole village was in pitch darkness.  I scrambled towards the farthest living room away from the back of the house where they were going to enter into the house.   I heard my father yelping my name:  "SEEELLLLAAA where are you?"

Of course they couldn't see a thing and I was far away so I yelled back.  "I'm here in the house dad!"  He shouted back:  "If it weren't for the electricity going out, I'd have belt you right now girl." My male cousins outside the house were running around in search of the boyfriend.  Little did they know he was long gone.

The part of the video where she lost her innocence and knew she'd let God down touched me.  To some girls, their innocence might be a burdensome thing.  They can't wait to get rid of it.  But to others that treasures their innocence, once they cross the line, think that they're probably "too far gone".  Fortunately, God is a God of forgiveness, goodness, mercy and love.  We are never too far gone.  He will always love us no matter what and where we are in this life.  WE are His children.

What a beautiful and touching song.  I feel the same way about my children.   Sometimes  the choices they make may temporarily dazzle me.  But there will always be forgiveness and love in my heart for them.  I treasure the short time I have with my children.  I see other people that are not part of my family the same way.  In this up-our-nose full of contradictions life, there will always be room for forgiveness, love and kindness.