Dear Reader, we thought this story, originally published on July 21, 2009 would touch your heart. At the end of the story, we will share an update with you.

The magic in a child’s heart.

As I held my 13 month old granddaughter Carina gently but firmly in my arms she looked at me with her twinkling brown eyes and a smile that beamed so brightly, it showed all of her tiny teeth, two on the top, and two on the bottom.

In an instant of shear joy she placed her forehead on mine and called out in her high pitched baby voice a universal message of bliss, while her teeny fingers gripped my cheeks. Carina was happy and her joy burst forth like a ray of sunshine that lights up everything in its path.

But not so long ago Carina nearly died. She was born six weeks premature struggling to survive. One of her tiny lungs collapsed and to save her, emergency surgery inserted a tube into her chest to re-inflate that lung.

Because she was so premature, her sucking response was weak and to keep her fed, a feeding tube was inserted into her nose to send a formula directly into her stomach. She was hospitalized for three weeks, much of it in neonatal intensive care.

Today however, this baby girl is thriving and weighs a hefty 22 pounds and has a double chin, fat legs and a pot belly to prove it.

Whether it’s Carina or your precious child or grandchild or someone else’s, there is so much love a baby has to offer that it can uplift your heart and make you glad to be alive.

There is magic taking place. For not only is this child adorable but he or she has found the way to reach your heart and the hearts of the rest of us as well.

Update: Carina is now 9-years-old, and is healthy and happy. She is an excellent student, an artist, and sings, dances and acts.

Carina