Beautiful

The other day I was driving home from Lowden by myself listening to a Taylor Swift CD that my little sister Dani had given to me. I heard a few songs all in a row that had a common theme...beauty. I thought of Dani, who is most definitely a beautiful girl. I thought about all of the many reasons that I love my baby sister. When Dani was born Andrea and I were old enough to offer a lot of help taking care of her, and I think we have always felt a little bit like Dani was our baby, not just our sister. Maybe that is why I am especially proud of what a wonderful woman she has grown in to. The thing about Dani is that she has such beautiful outsides, that sometimes I forget to compliment her insides, which are equally beautiful. From a painfully shy little girl, she has grown into the kind of woman that goes out of her way to make other people happy. She has a beautiful soul, and a will do just about anything for someone in need. I remember my mom telling me about Dani offering a ride to school to a kid that had a terribly long bike ride in the cold winter without her assistance. That is just Dani.
Now that I have my little Leila people tell me all the time that she looks just like her aunt Dani, and I can only hope that my daughter turns out to be as beautiful, thoughtful and funny on the inside as my beautiful baby sister.

I love you Dani!