Pages

January 08, 2010

Stop The Car!

The little boy was big for his age. He was only three years old but most people thought he was older and expected things of him that an older boy would be doing. But he was content in his life, with his big sister and his mom and dad. He wasn't sure what it meant because his dad was already in the military when the boy was born, but he felt some sort of pride when he watched his dad in his Marine uniform.

The family was moving all the way across the country from California to Virginia. The road trip in the crowded car was a vacation for the little boy and his sister who had never been out of California and mostly living on a military base in family housing.
The boy and girl were introduced to many new things on the trip: People are served grits instead of potatoes in some states; the children at the park playgrounds in Texas spoke another language that the boy and girl couldn't understand. The parents informed them that the children were speaking English, they just had strong accents.

The first few days in Virginia provided many learning experiences. Most of the buildings were made of brick instead of the Spanish stucco they were all used to. The pedestrians didn't have the right of way crossing the street on the corners and the whole family was nearly wiped out at once as cars sped around them and honked. All the new sights and sounds were intimidating those early days.

Mom and Dad had heard about a place called Georgetown so the first place for the family to visit was there. The station wagon wasn't full of belongings now that the car was unpacked, so the little boy wanted to sit in the very back so he could see everything coming and going.

Suddenly the little boy shouted "Stop the car! Stop the car!" causing his dad to almost get in an accident as he tried to get the car over safely. When the car was stopped, the dad and mom turned around in their seats to look at the boy, who was jumping up and down with excitement. With huge eyes and an even bigger smile, the little boy proclaimed "I just saw Jesus riding down the street on a bicycle!!!"

Since the little boy had only lived on a military base with all personnel wearing very short hair, he had never seen a man with a beard wearing long hair. Turns out that in Georgetown there were men with long hair and beards, and bike riding was easier and cheaper for college students and professors to dodge the traffic and get to appointments and classes.

This is a true story. The little boy is my son. He is married and lives in Hawaii with his wife. Today is his birthday. He is a kind, gentle man and I hope he has a special birthday. He has brought so much goodness and acceptance into my life and taught me many things. I love you, son. Happy Birthday.

33 comments:

Cindy said...

Wonderful story for you. happy birthday to your son, it is funny what comes out of their mouths sometimes. Take care.

Brian Miller said...

happy birthday! jesus on a bike...lol. what a cool story. what part of VA did you live in?

Shadow said...

how precious! happy birthday to your son!!!

CiCi said...

Hi Cinner, My son was extremely quiet and reserved so when he did speak it was momentous.

Hey Brian, We lived on base at Quantico. My third child was born there.

Hello Shadow, Thanks for sending good wishes out to the universe for my son's birthday.

DJan said...

Great story, well written. I also acknowledge that you were pretty busy on this day back then, becoming a mother. And this story makes you wonder about the minds of kids. Happy birthday to both of you!

janet copenhaver said...

What a cute story! Your son shares his birthday with my dad who would have been 82 today.

Lori said...

I love this story! Happy birthday to your son. Congratulations to you for having a wonderful son. Thanks for the smile. :)

Jeanie said...

What a lovely birthday tribute to your son. My son also spent the early years of his life with his dad in the military (Air Force). We had the same problem with accents when we moved to northern Florida from Ohio.

Lou said...

Being an Army brat, I can relate!

Lovely post, I have a Capricorn son also.

Joanna Jenkins said...

Hey Techno! YOU WON my Giveaway!! Woo-hoo. Please send me your email address.
YEAH!
joanna

Pseudo said...

congrats on winning over at joanna's! thought I'd come over and say hello.

btw, i live in hawaii...Happy birthday to your son.

Unknown said...

:) Yay for a good son!

Mike said...

Very nice tribute to your son and I hope that he had a happy birthday.

It is funny how the country is. There are minor differences here and there, but, overall, you can go from one coast and travel 3000 miles and people are basically the same.

gayle said...

Story sounded familuar...moved from CA to NC when I was 13..

Great post!!
Would love to read your take on moving??

Ronda Laveen said...

What a great story! Congrats on winning the giveaway @ Joanna's!

Cindy said...

congrats on winning the giveaway over at Joannas..lucky you! I was very happy it was you.

Casey Freeland said...

Ah, so very sweet. Thanks for sharing this.

SLC

Rahul Jain said...

Heppy birthday to your son.. But a touching story, seriously stuning tragic and lot of love reflected from your words for your son..

Anonymous said...

What a great story. i am sure it is one your son has heard recited time and time again!! thank you for sharing it with us and Happy Birthday to your son.

Shrinky said...

Oh, such a beautiful tale, and so expertly told. Happy birthday to your little boy (he always will be that, in your heart).

Anonymous said...

Hey Mom! What a story huh lol! I kinda remember that day and seeing this guy with what looked like a white long robe, long hair and beard, riding a bike down the street. Funny hehe.

Love you Mom! Hope your 2010 is filled with laughter, love, happiness and continued prosperity! xoxox

Sniffles and Smiles said...

Absolutely a story to be treasured!!! That's classic!!! Love it!!! Happy Birthday to your wonderful son!!! It's easy to see how he grew into such a wonderful man...his parents obviously loved and valued him in incredibly tangible ways!!! You are fantastic! ~Janine XO

Sniffles and Smiles said...

P.S. I'm not sure if this is your primary blog or not...but I do love it, and so I hope you won't mind if I follow you! ~J.

Cheryl said...

Oh what a wonderful story!

Ina in Alaska said...

Happy Birthday to your dear son! I am stopping by to say hi from the Husband's laptop. I wish I could share what is going on via my blog but hopefully soon the laptop will be up and running again and I will be back to posting. I took many great pictures while in NJ. Mom doing fine, just immobile. Hopefully her antibiotic drip will end soon, her knee appliance put back in place and healing....Her dog, Halle, is adjusting very well to life in Alaska! My mom told me she wants to get well so she can come to Anchorage and spend time with her dog. Also my sister said the same thing. I think my family wants to visit Halle more than me!! (smiling...) Hugs... xoxo

Claudya Martinez said...

Happy Birthday to your son!

surjit singh said...

Great story.Very well worded.Happy birthday(belated) to your dear son.
God bless your family.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

What a perfectly lovely story!

Happy birthday to your wonderful son with his unique way of seeing the world. And maybe he really did see Jesus on a bicycle. I for one would never doubt it.

Far Side of Fifty said...

Great Story..Happy Birthday to your son:)

terri said...

What a great story! Definitely one for the memory books. Happy Birthday to your son!

Bill Lisleman said...

nice story - I was in the USAF for 10 years. My oldest daughter was so excited to get her own ID. She called it an IDEA.

all the best

Julie said...

This is so beautiful and sweet. I hope your son had a wonderful birthday!

TheUndertaker said...

What an absolutely wonderful story, I loved this one!