While most little girls are dreaming about being a princess or getting a pony for Christmas, 7-year-old Heaven Gibson dreamed of the day her daddy would return from his deployment.

Her dream became a reality Tuesday afternoon when she walked into her classroom and saw her father, Jarrod, sitting at her desk.

Shock is probably not the word to describe the state the first grader at W.G. Nunn Elementary School was in when returning from the library.

She had no idea what her mother and father had planned for her.

Brandi Gibson, Heaven’s mother, picked her husband up from the flight line at Moody Air Force Base after he returned from a 6-month deployment to Afghanistan. Jarrod entered the classroom while his daughter, unknowingly, was being stalled in the school’s library.

At 2:30 p.m., Heaven entered her class to find all her classmates, including her father, seated in their desks. She stared at her father for what seemed to be several minutes, while walking to the front of the room where her teacher stood. Her eyes never left her father. As soon as her brain processed the information, the first grader dropped the library books, screamed, “Daddy!” and ran into the arms of her exhausted father. Tears were shed around the room as father and daughter held tightly onto each other. Heaven’s first order of business was to show her father the green sticks she had earned for good behavior while he was away. When asked what was the first thing she wanted to do with her father, she said, “Play games and watch TV maybe.”

Staff Sergeant Jarrod Gibson, crew chief with the 23rd Maintenance Squadron, was originally due to surprise his daughter at noon, but after several delays, the anxious father arrived two hours later. This was not Jarrod’s first deployment, but it is the first one little Heaven remembers.

“The last time I deployed, she was a baby,” the very quiet Jarrod said. “I’m just glad to be back. I’m filled with so many emotions right now.”

It was Jarrod’s idea to surprise the daughter who shares a strong resemblance to him.

“He said he thought it would be a different way to surprise her,” Brandi Gibson said. “It was hard keeping the secret from her. She kept asking me when her daddy was coming home, and I couldn’t tell her. I almost felt guilty about keeping it from her (Brandi smiled). I’m just relieved he’s home.”

Heaven said while her father was deployed, she would listen to music which helped her to get over the sadness. She said her mother would tell her it’s going to be all right, and he’s coming back. Heaven wanted to offer the same encouragement to other children who may have a parent deployed overseas.

“It’s OK, they’ll come back,” she said. Jarrod will have at least the next two weeks off from his duties at Moody to catch up with his family.

Dr Bill Cason and Public Information Representative, Jennifer Steedley, of Valdosta City Schools, were also present to share in the special occasion.