Dad Pens Touching Note To Daughter With Down Syndrome On Day Of Wedding

For most of us, it was just an average summer day.

But for journalist Paul Daugherty, June 27 was so much more than that. It was the day his daughter, Jillian, got married.

As he prepared to walk his now grown-up little girl down the aisle to her soon-to-be husband, Daugherty felt a bit overwhelmed. He was proud of Jillian, who has Down syndrome, for how she'd grown up -- proud of the woman she'd become.

And so he sat down to do what he does best: write.

That day, in the hours leading up to her wedding, Daugherty penned the most beautiful letter to his daughter, telling her, above all, how much he loves her.

The letter begins,

It is the afternoon of your wedding. June 27, 2015. In two hours, you will take the walk of a lifetime, a stroll made more memorable by what you've achieved to get to this day. I don't know what the odds are of a woman born with Down syndrome marrying the love of her life. I only know you've beaten them... We live for moments such as these, when hopes and dreams intersect at a sweet spot in time. When everything we've always imagined arrives and assumes a perfect clarity. Bliss is possible. I know this now, standing beneath that window.

As Jillian prepared to marry her partner of 10 years, her dad reflected on her childhood and on all of the difficulties she'd faced and subsequently overcome. He spoke of her future and all of his hopes and dreams for her life.

Last week, two months after the wedding, Daugherty published the letter on The Mighty, where he works as a sports writer.

People began to take notice, and soon the letter went viral. Needless to say, the beautiful message touched a lot of hearts — mine included.

Read Daugherty's moving letter, "To My Daughter With Down Syndrome on Her Wedding Day," but not before arming yourself with a box of tissues. You'll need it.

Citations: Dads Gorgeous Wedding Day Letter to Daughter With Down Syndrome Is Everyones Parenting Goal (Cosmopolitan), To My Daughter With Down Syndrome on Her Wedding Day Read more: http://themighty.com/2015/08/to-my-daughter-with1-down-syndrome-on-her-wedding-day/#ixzz3kQKyfUwz (The Mighty)