A little girl stood, looking at a table covered in crystal objects at a community craft fair. Every delicate piece shone with perfect clarity in the sunlight, but the most beautiful one was a golden unicorn.

As she stood in awe, hands in her pockets, the owner quietly pulled her father aside and cautioned him not to let the scruffy little girl steal any of his expensive wares. Her father looked the man in the eyes and told him he could personally guarantee his family did not want anything from the stand.

Then, he took his daughter’s hand and led her to a far less interesting stall with kitchen goods, where he pulled out a wrinkled $5 bill and bought a magnet printed with a unicorn. It was no crystal statue, but the girl liked it and put it on the fridge when they got home, where it remained for many years.

Long after she stopped believing in unicorns, the girl graduated from high school and went off to college. Her father did not go with her to the campus dormitory, but said he’d see her when she came home the following weekend, and wanted to hear all about her new digs.

Unlocking the door to her new dorm room, the young lady saw a bed, a small dresser and a miniature fridge – just like every other dorm room. Hers, however, had the unicorn magnet stuck on the refrigerator door along with a note.

“My dearest daughter,” the note read, “I am the luckiest dad in the world and I am so proud to have you as my daughter. Love, Dad.”