May 14 is my brother David’s birthday. When the family was together recently, I got to retell one of my mother’s favorite stories.
When he was about the age you see him in these pictures–a toddler–Mother put him down for a nap one day. Then she and a friend sat on the porch to talk.
After a bit, Mother looked down the road and saw a woman holding the hand of a child and walking in her direction.
“That baby’s probably about the same age as David,” she mused.
The woman and child came closer. She laughed and said, “That child even looks a little like David.”
A few seconds and another glance later, she said, “That little boy is David!”
Apparently he’d taught himself how to climb over the rail of his baby bed and slide head first to the floor. He then made his escape through the back door and trotted down the road wearing nothing but his diaper. He was spotted by a stranger. She took his hand and began walking him in the direction he’d come from, sure sooner or later she’d find a frantic mother.
He still loves to walk, though he’s often guiding other people over mountainous terrain in the western states. And now he knows to dress appropriately.
We’re all thinking of you with love on your birthday, David, and we’re glad you always come back from your travels with stories to tell.
yes, happy birthday to an amazing man.
=)
Different times!
For sure.