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ALVORD, Texas — It’s been said that kids grow up in the blink of an eye, and for one Texas dad, the proof is in a photo.
It’s been 13 years since Jason Gayler walked his daughter Brittany to school for her very first day of kindergarten. As Brittany prepared for her very last day of high school last week, her dad stumbled across a photo of their first walk so many years ago, according to Today.
The emotional discovery inspired him to take the chance to once again be there for his little girl — this time at the close of this particular chapter in her life. So, on Brittany’s final day of high school, the pair walked side by side one last time.
“My dad walked me to school on my very first day & today he walked me to school on my very last day,” Brittany wrote on her Twitter account, along with side-by-side photos of that first walk and, of course, the last one.
The nostalgic images struck a chord with thousands of kids and parents alike — Brittany’s May 25 post quickly went viral, garnering more than 14,000 retweets and 62,400 likes as of Monday night.
“I wish I had this kind of memory with my father,” wrote one Twitter user. “Bless your heart for sharing.”
“Seeing stuff like this makes you forget about all the bad stuff going on in the world right now,” wrote another. “This is epic.”
my dad walked me to school on my very first day & today he walked me to school on my very last day pic.twitter.com/70RmbI7oQ9
— Brittany Gayler (@BrittanyGayler) May 25, 2017
Brittany told BuzzFeed that while showing up to her high school with her dad was a little embarrassing, she wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.
“I’ve always been so grateful that my parents have always been there for me,” she said.
As for Jason, that final walk with Brittany had him “holding back tears,” according to BuzzFeed. He also couldn’t quite believe the huge response they’ve received since Brittany shared the photos.
“It brings me great joy if we were able to help people think back to that time, even if it was just for a brief moment, and smile,” Jason told Today. “I can hope one day when I’m old I can look back at this and smile!”
Brittany, who will be playing softball for Tyler Junior College in the fall, will always have those photos when she's feeling a little homesick.
“It’s definitely a moment I’m going to remember forever,” Brittany told Today.
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