When I was a little girl, I insisted upon taking my beloved stuffed animals with me wherever we went.  I always started out carrying them proudly but eventually got tired of keeping up with them.  I still hold loving images in my mind’s eye of my big, strong daddy clutching an armful of stuffed animals in public without an ounce of shame.  As I got older I had to keep up with them myself or leave them at home.  Our little one is very good about remembering her things.  In this case she had her hands full carrying her new shoes and just couldn’t manage her dog, too.  Looking at my husband standing there holding my four year old’s purse took me back to cherished times and precious memories with my sweet Daddy.  I am so glad my girl will have the same experiences I had with a strong man who loves her and isn’t afraid to nuture that in whatever form it may take.  So last night her Daddy took Sparkles the husky to the car without a trace of embarrassment and my heart was full.  American author Kent Nerburn (writer of one of my favorite books, “Neither Wolf Nor Dog”) said, “It is much easier to become a father than to be one.”  God graciously allowed my husband and me to have a child together, and that child is making him into a better man.