Good Morning and welcome to, for many, a short week!

You know, there are a lot of cliches out in the wild, wild world. There are many about smiles. Let a smile be your umbrella. A smile makes the world look brighter. When your smiling, the whole world smiles with you.
Those cliches, although maybe dated, are right on the money.
Yesterday was a special girl's fifth birthday.
Five years ago, there were a lot of concerns about her. She had trouble breathing right away. There were concerns about her heart. She was on a respirator for the first week of her life. After being able to leave the hospital, she wasn't allowed to leave the house for six months (except to go to the doctor).
While watching her dance and sing during Sunday's birthday party, I was taken back five years. I remember looking at her through the plastic covering, all wires and blankets.
I remember the next day finally being able to hold her, telling her everything was going to be OK. I remember sitting in the critical care area having her lay on my belly and gently fall asleep.
Five years later, she won't fall asleep on my belly. She's blossomed into a beautiful young girl. She has friends. She holds her own (and then some) with her older brothers. She dances. She sings.
Most of all, though, she smiles. Those smiles can melt your heart. They truly make a rainy day turn bright and sunny.
So, I asked last night, 'Malena, now that your five do you still have time for your Daddy?'
"Sure," she said. "How about 10 minutes?"
Then she smiled and I knew everything would be OK.