End of the innocence

My wife, Alex, took this picture of our daughter, Kennedy. This week, we had unseasonable weather, as an April snow shower hit, and temperatures dipped into the 20s. Kennedy is fascinated by rain and snow and loves playing in inclement weather. She, Alex and baby Walker were playing in the playroom when Kennedy turned her little chair toward the window, climbed up and stared out in amazement at the snow coming down.

For me, this picture is worth so much more than the sweet moment that it captures. Kennedy is at an age right now where anything is possible. Bad people aren’t real. Dreams can come true, and princesses really exist. She doesn’t know what heartbreak is. Her mama is her best friend, and her daddy can protect her from anything. Grades and speeding tickets and jobs and financial planning are off on a distant horizon that she knows nothing about.

She is just there, right in that moment, enjoying a beautiful snowfall in her little playroom, on a quiet little street, in a nice little neighborhood. I know someday things won’t be this simple for her. She’ll one day reach the end of the innocence and understand that life is a bit more complicated, people aren’t always what they seem and sometimes things are just hard. When that day comes, I’ll take a look at this picture and have a good cry.