A Princess and Her King

This weekend Rob took Mekyla to the Hope Pregnancy Center's annual Father-Daughter Purity Ball. What a sweet, sweet event. The funny thing is, they were not supposed to be there. Rob was scheduled to be away for work this week, but things fell right into place for them to attend. This has been a hot topic in our house for some time now. As soon as we found out that he would be here for the event, he and Mekyla were asked to do an interview with the local newspaper. Ever since the paper ran on January 16, Mekyla has has had her heart set on that ball.


Here's the article: http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20100116/COMMUNITY/1160311/Father-Daughter-ball-is-fun-with-a-purpose





Some excerpts from the article: "I like to dance on Daddy's feet, and I'm going to do it again," said Mekyla Smith, a first-grade student at Kenwood Elementary School.



As both fathers talked about their daughters' futures, it was like watching a determined security guard scan the horizon with one mission — protecting a treasure.

Smith is the man Mekyla loves to have tickle fights with: "I try to tickle him, but he doesn't have a tickle spot."

And the Army dad is the man Mekyla says she prays for when he is deployed.

"I always pray to God to please keep my daddy safe. Sometimes I cry because I miss him so much, but he always comes back," said Mekyla as she gently ran her fingers across her white dress for the ball. She looked up at her stepdad of four years and dipped her head onto his shoulder as he bounced Mekyla's toddler brother on his knee.

"You struggle on how to do the right things, but events like this matched with every day, go a long way, I think. It's not like Daddy's preaching, it's like what she grows up knowing from experience," Smith said.



I could not be more proud of Rob. What an amazing example of love. He has shown Mekyla that she is beautiful, valuable and that above all else, she is HIS Princess.

I had the privilege to work the event, although that was not planned. I knew this was their night and I didn't intend to be there. I was actually scheduled to help on Saturday night, during the 6th-12th grade event. Sadly, the Purity Education coordinator at Hope (who is also a dear friend of mine) watched one of her closest friends lose her long battle with cancer last week. This, of course, took her away from work and that, coupled with me working so closely with her to plan the event, meant I was running the show! I did my very best to keep my distance from them, so I didn't infringe on their special night.



The reason for it all, Mekyla's new purity ring.

I have to admit that I was wiping tears away during this part of the event. The fathers were asked to get on one knee, to put the ring on their daughters finger and to repeat this:

You are a princess. I don't deserve to be your father. But I thank God for giving you to me. I promise I will do my best to show you what true love is. I give you this ring as a reminder that you are special to me and deserve to always be treated like royalty. Please never settle for less than the best, because that's exactly what you are to me...the best! No matter where you are or what you do, you will always be "daddy's girl". I love you.

And the girls were to respond with this:

This ring will be a reminder of the special plans God has for me. I will do my best to make you proud and to live a pure life for God. Thank you for treating me like a princess tonight. I love you.

I don't think this event could have been more special. Mekyla felt like such a princess to be all dressed up with her daddy in his dress uniform. Rob could not have looked more handsome, and I, well I could not have been more proud.