Maggie the Magnificient

For those of you just tuning in, let me get you up to speed.

I have an amazing daughter.

Last night Maggie and I were home alone folding laundry and watching 60 minutes. Maggie hates television. She cannot see well enough to enjoy it and worst of all, when we are watching it that means we are NOT paying attention to her. This, of course is unacceptable.  She said what she always does.  “Mom, I don’t like TV.”  And I respond the way I always do , “too bad, I do and I’m watching this.”  That cracks her up so she does it over and over again and I give the same response. It’s a never ending game.

After about seven or eight rounds of this game, my friend Lori called me. She could not find CNN on the TV. Her teenage daughter told her something was up and they were trying to tune in to see what was going on. I told her it was channel 56 and turned it on myself. Wolf Blitzer was dancing around the announcement about Osama Bin Laden but not saying what was happening.  Presumably they were waiting for confirmation.  I had no idea what they were about to say, but the build up was huge. I called Steve at his friend’s house to tell them to turn on the news. Even though it was clearly something big,  my jaw dropped when they announced the news.  I stopped folding laundry and stared at the television completely ignoring Maggie.

I can safely say that Maggie does not have any understanding of Osama Bin Laden or breaking news or any such thing, (and I envy that a little).  But somehow she picked up on the gravity of what was going on. I talked to a couple of people on the phone and kept watching the television. Maggie sat there quietly until she started hitting her talker. I thought we would be back to the “I don’t like TV” statement, but that was not what she had to say. She worked clicking and moving until she said: “Dad, come see the TV.”

My jaw dropped again. My girl knew that this was something big and she figured her dad would want to know what was happening.   

She amazes me.  That is all.