Beautiful Inside and Out

My four year old daughter Kayla is beautiful. She is half Filipino and half Caucasian and has a very unique look. She has ringlet curls, long eyelashes, and a pretty smile. She is very photogenic, and has even done some modeling, however that is not the special part of my little girl.

Her brother Aidan has special needs but she only sees him as her brother. From a very young age she has tried to help him. She sometimes says she is the older sister when in reality she is the younger. When she was 16-months-old, her daddy was shot in the line of duty and I had to rush to his side. I had left my two sleeping babies with my neighbor, Linda. Linda was not trained to care for either of them but thankfully was willing to help me. When Kayla woke up from her nap she went into Aidan's room and brought Linda a diaper, as if to tell her he needed to be changed.

Two of the biggest things Kayla has learned in her four short years is caring and compassion and these are qualities I hope she never loses. She doesn't seem to see the differences some people may have, or if she does, she doesn't dwell on them. She can be found on the playground at preschool consoling a little friend that may have fallen down or hugging her mommy on a really bad day.

This last week was open house at her preschool. I was at a doctor's appointment with Aidan so her daddy took her. The next morning I couldn't wait to walk around her classroom and see all her artwork. When I saw a picture entitled, "what I want to be" I didn't know what to expect. Her answer was a Firewoman. It proceeded to say "because I want to help people when they are sick or hurt like they help my brother Aidan." It's true she has witnessed more than her fair share of 9-1-1 calls but I guess I didn't really think she understood.

Some day if you ever get the chance, ask my daughter about firemen. She LOVES them and I always joke that we are going to be in trouble when she turns 18. I thought maybe it was the firetruck or the cool uniform she liked, but apparently I was wrong.