Happy Birthday Melissa Dec. 18

 

Melissa is my only biological daughter and my firstborn so you know she has poor old dad rapped around her little finger. When she was little I used to tell her bedtime stories that went something like this:
"Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was just about the same age as you. She was very very strong because she ate lots and lots and lots of vegetables. Not just the good ones like peas and corn and carrots and potatoes and green beans and onions. She also ate the yucky ones like lima beans and even the awful, dreaded brussel sprout. Bleeech!
Because she was so strong, they called her Mighty Melissa. One day Mighty Melissa went to visit a friend who lived on a farm. And on that farm were pigs and goats and horses and sheep and dogs and really stupid chickens. But they also had some cows and a great big, huge, tremendous bull who was very very mean and liked to chase people and butt them with his head. That day, Mighty Melissa and her friend went exploring in a field. They thought that the bull was in the barn but they were wrong. The bull was in that field too. When the girls were well into the field, the mean old bull charged. Mighty Melissa's friend screamed and ran but Mighty Melissa stayed right there. It wasn't because Mighty Melissa wasn't scared. She was very afraid but Mighty Melissa was not going to let fear get the best of her. Ooooooh no. She stood there and just as that huge, mean old bull was about to butt her with his head, she punched him. She punched him so hard, because she was so strong from eating those vegetables, that she knocked him out. Several minutes later, the bull came to and said. "Oooooooooch, why did you do that?"

Mighty Melissa asked the bull, "Why did you scare me and try to hurt me?"

The bull replied, "I am a bull. That's what I do. I scare people and they run away or I butt them."

"Well", said Mighty Melissa, "I am Mighty Melissa and I don't run away from fear. Do you want to try this again?

"No" said the bull.

So Mighty Melissa and the bull became friends and the bull never chased people again."

Now, I don't know what effect these stories had on Melissa, but I like to think they had something to do with her ability to face events and deal with them when others, including me, might be frozen with fear or become depressed and never want to get out of bed. Melissa, you are my hero now. I love you, Pumpkin.

DAD