Today, I have chosen to reveal my heart concerning my Precious Angel Jimma and the very impact of that smile of her's that would always cause me to forget the burden of the moment or the forthcoming pressure of tomorrow's cares. When Jimma would smile, it involved her whole face. Not only did her pretty little lips part and flash those beautiful, white little teeth but, her demanor would extricate the joy that she so willingly and biasedly held, wrapped-up in that fragile, pain pierced frame of hers. There was only one time frame in her life that she didn't wield a smile as I recall. The time when her daily sustenance became resistant to her, causing allergic reactions. Her brain became affected, causing her to be as if she were in another world. The doctors finally listened to my wife and I, and our inciting them to test her food for allergies. Sure enough, she had developed allergies to her sustenance to which it was changed, and she regained her cognizance. The smile was back. Until September 19, 2009. A date that has become of such disdain to me. 
    That horrific day in September would rob her of her pure, joyous, life-easing smile forever on this earth. I recall as she lay on that hospital bed at Levine's Children Hospital in Charlotte, NC, her body was struggling to fend off that hellish foe called Swine Flu. Rapid was her intakes of breath. Her lungs would no sooner expand, when it seemed the plight of breathing would yearn to be filled with air again. I watched as she and her mommy would exchange looks that went to gestures of meeting in Heavenly places. Her pretty little mouth yearned for every gentle kiss mommy would give to her, even in the struggle to breathe. Time receded and relief from the struggle and pain was imminent. A nurse brought an i.v. into her room to which she endeavored to penetrate Jimma's tiny collapsed veins. Oh the struggle my baby went through to fend off the excruciating pain of the needle punctures. The nurse instructed me to hold her one arm as she tried to find a vein in the other. I looked into those precious, pain filled eyes of hers so helplessly. She was looking at me as if she wanted to say, "Daddy make it go away." In just a few short minutes the medicine got into her system and, Jimma's body relaxed, only to succumb to the battle for her life. From that moment, I knew I'd never see her beautiful, joy emanating smile on this earth again. After a few hours of life support, Jimma's body released it's clutches of her beautiful spirit and she soared home, leaving behind one more smile to that lifeless body. Her mom said to Jimma, "I guess daddy won't be getting me that van now that you and I need," and so the little mouth of Jimma gave her approval by one more smile.
    Jimma, I love you my perfect little angel. My heart yearns to be with you. I know where you are, there in the presence of the Almighty God, Our Lord Jesus Christ. I cherish the memories of our night time prayers together and always ending them with, "Send peace to Jerusalem", to which we would give each other a smile and then, go off to sleep. One day Jimma, I will see you smile again. Until then, I trod on through this life yearning for that day.
        Love you My Big Girl,
        Daddy