Seventeen years ago today I received a very special gift which I get to enjoy even now. This precious gift was somewhat similar to one I had been presented with some 28 years before but this time I had a much better idea of what to do with it.The gift I am referring to was the the birth of my Daughter Camera Anne Johns Summerfield on November 06 1995. Her birth like her sister’s changed my life. When Candis Cami’s sister was born she was involved in a very long and difficult delivery which left her little banged up and battered looking. I was also expecting a Son so the whole experience for me was one shock after another. Cami on the other hand looked nearly as perfect then as she does now nor was she a surprise, I knew for sometime she was on her way.
The Doctors had decided to do a C-section as Cami wasn’t cooperating. She seemed quite content to stay right where she was but eventually she had a smooth arrival which unlike Candis left her totally unmarked so she just looked beautiful.
I was hanging out near the delivery room door at the moment of her birth so I got to hear her loudly protesting as she resisted leaving where she had been living for the past 9 months. I had the right to be in the birthing room but Cami’s Mother Kari and I were having our problems so I wisely decided not to be in there. To be perfectly honest I didn’t think I would have made it out alive.
Recalling the births of my Daughters always brings a smile to my face as I think about the wonderful memories they have given me and in fact the mere mention of their names always causes me to swell up with pride. A good friend of mine once suggested I should change my name to George “ask me about my daughters” Johns. Surprisingly they are not much alike even though Cami since she was a little girl looked a lot like she could have been Candis’ Daughter. Hell even Reid Reker who was the first person to see her other than family said … George if I were you I would cancel the blood test your lawyer wants you to get because if I’m not mistaken that baby over there is either Candis, your Brother Reg’s, or yours. Don’t embarrass yourself! OK so back to Candis & Cami again. Candis is very out going and also very talkative where as Cami is a little more on the reserved side and kinda quiet. Cami appears a little shy but I’ve noticed that Johns rage smoldering in the back of her eyes and even though I have never seen it I hear her Mother and a few select others have, so I wouldn’t advise crossing her. What Cami and Candis do have in common though and I’m very proud of it is … They are both brilliant!
On this very day 17 years ago when they brought Cami to me she was about 5 minutes old. She was still screaming her lungs out in protest as I took her from the nurse and eased myself down into the provided rocking chair. I gently stroked her hair and kissed her forehead as I introduced myself and told her all would soon be better. I told her my job as her Father was to protect her from all evil for as long as I was able to. I gently ran my hands through her silky baby hair as I told her how much I loved her. I will never forget the sweet baby smell of her. As I continued to murmur sweet nothings in her ear she slowly started to calm down and thus began our 17 year relationship.
During her first two years I got to be with her for an hour or so almost everyday at lunch time but first I had to quickly learn how to feed, change, and burp her. Back in the day Fathers didn’t do that kinda thing much.
Cami and I have enjoyed doing a lot of fun things together through the years and I have especially enjoyed watching her grow into the beautiful intelligent young lady she is today. I got to attend many a opening night as she performed in various plays and musicals over the years not to mention all the extra curricular activities she was involved in as she was growing up that demanded my attendance also. Seeing her grow up has been wonderful experience for me and you can only imagine the thrill I get every time I discover a little of me in her. Ahhh, so this is how immortality works! 
Our 17 year journey began with her calling me Da Da first then moving to Daddy and on to Dad then finally Dude. She is now back calling me Daddy again which is my all time favorite ever since her late Grandmother Maggie informed me that any man can be a Father but it takes a hell of a Man to be a Daddy. 
Cami and I have also traveled to many fun places together over the years but I think our favorite has to be our yearly summer trek to California as we visited my side of the family. The only thing I’m sorta sad about now though is this part of our life is coming to a close. She will be finished with her high school honors program soon and be heading off to college.
I can not believe it’s already her birthday again today. It seems like only a couple of weeks ago she was dancing with all her friends at her “Sweet 16 party” where she looked just stunning in her dress of feathers.(pictured above)
As her Father I always feel compelled to try to teach Cami about the wonders of life works and try to help her unlock it’s many mysteries. She claims all my “life stories” as she calls them do is give her a headache.
Cami came along at a good time in my life as I wasn’t real sure what I wanted to do next but she sure solved all that. Having her around has made and kept me young or as Dylan wrote “I was much older then I’m younger than that now”. I cant text as fast as she can but she was the one who taught me how to do it and now it is my main way of communicating with her and most others. She also has a profound way of keeping my head on straight like I remember riding along in the car a few years ago proudly playing her one of my old Jury recordings that had just been re-released on a new CD when suddenly from the back seat she asks me if the song was almost over yet. No I responded, why do you ask … Because it’s not very good came her quick reply. Or even more recently when she asked me if I was hanging out with anybody in my building yet and I told her no because most of the people who lived there were pretty old. She exclaimed … You’re old too Daddy. Ouch! Happy Birthday my Beautiful Wee One! I love you with all my heart and always will. xodaddyxo