Dearest Savannah,

Two years ago today, you came into the world.  Your mother and I went months without knowing if you would even make it into the world, and when you were born, you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.  We lived with uncertainty every day, and the fear we would never hear you laugh, or see you smile.  That we were blessed with such a wonderful, amazing little girl was, to me, a proof that miracles exist.
I'm so sorry that I cannot spend this most special day with you.  I would give almost anything to see you smile again, to watch you express the wonder and joy at the world in your own special way.  It breaks my heart that I don't know where you are, or to be able to protect you as I had every day since you were born.  Your Daddy has given so much, lost so much, including his freedom, to forces beyond his control, and for that, I am forever sorry. You were conceived in love, and when your mother told me she was pregnant, I felt more joy than I could ever describe.
Since then, I was with you every day it was possible.  I have watched you go from tiny, helpless infant, to an amazing, sweet child who explores the world with a sense of wide-eyed wonder and who gives nothing but love and smiles to anyone willing to accept it, and it has been the most beautiful experience of my life.  Every moment I have spent with you will be forever ingrained in my memory, and it is my fondest, deepest wish, that those days are not forever behind us.
You are, and will forever be, the guiding light of my life.  I miss having you take my finger, and have you take me with you to play with your blocks.  We would watch Mother Goose club every day, and your smile you gave me when I sang to you will be forever etched upon my memory.  Whatever happens, whatever you may hear in the future, I hope you will know that your Daddy misses and loves you.
I hope your birthday is filled with laughter and smiles, and that one day, we can be reunited.  I want nothing more than to see the love in your eyes that you gave me every day.  You went to bed one night, after your Daddy was there every day, and then the next, I was gone.  I wish I could tell you what happened, but I am as much in the dark as you; I woke one day with hope for our future, and then, within the space of but a day, everything changed.
I will always love you, my little miracle.  Nothing will change that, despite whatever the future holds in store.
Be strong, be yourself, and keep sending your special love out into the world.
Daddy loves you, more than anything, and he always will.

[caption id="attachment_166" align="aligncenter" width="225"]<a href="http://michaelvain.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/SavannahandDaddy01.jpg"><img src="http://michaelvain.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/SavannahandDaddy01-225x300.jpg" alt="My little Miracle" width="225" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-166" /></a> My little Miracle[/caption]

