Happy Birthday, Little Brother!

My "little" brother is 41 today. You know if my "little" brother is that old, it makes me a whole lot older. (I am but that's another post for another day.) Like some other cherished memories of mine, I can remember every detail so clearly, one would think that it had just happened days ago instead of years. The first time I saw my baby brother is one of those moments I love to recall.

Daddy and I went to the hospital to get Mom and the baby. My grandma had given me a pillow to take to lay the baby on. I was just one month shy of my seventh birthday. I waited in the lobby while Daddy went to get them. Tommy was asleep the first time I saw him. He was the cutest baby I had ever seen!

My dad had a red '66 Ford Galaxy. We put the pillow on the front seat between Mom and Dad and put the baby on it to sleep while we drove home. I sat in the middle of the back seat, hanging over the front seat, watching him sleep all the way home. I LOVED watching him sleep!

Oh, my gosh! This is one of the most precious memories in my life, yet it was health and safety hazard! It makes my dad sound so negligent to have left me in the lobby alone. There is no way he'd leave a 7 year old alone now. The term "child abduction" wasn't a frequently used term in 1966. And what about putting the baby on a pillow??? No car seat?? No seat belt on the 7 year old? My parents weren't negligent at all. In fact, they've always been very protective and careful. It was just a different time in life.

The only car seat my brother ever had when he was little was one that had these chrome "hooks" that went over the back of the front seat. It had a padded bar that lifted up and down so you could get him out easily. There weren't any straps to secure him at all.

Now that I've upset myself remembering this "sweet" memory, maybe I should just focus on the issue at hand. Happy birthday to a wonderful brother! I loved him from the moment I first saw him and love him even more today. He's a wonderful brother!

Love,
Sis