Thought for today:
"When you're a member of a large family, there is always a birthday to celebrate. Yesterday was my youngest sister Susan's birthday and today is my brother Patrick's birthday (LHS of photo). Being positioned in a much loftier position of the family hierarchy and closer to me (the oldest Billy goat in the herd), Patrick was more likely to receive my hand-me-downs whereas the only thing handed down to Susan was 'Memories of the way we were' when she hadn't yet been born.
Patrick was born the middle of seven siblings and grew up for most of his life with his younger brother Peter by his side; often sharing my 'hand me downs' in both clothes and toys, as was the manner of the times.
I will never forget the tricycle that I passed down to him when the time arrived for him to have his own wheels. When I handed it over to Patrick, it was in pristeen condition and I gave him strict instructions to look after it as his brother Peter was next in line for it after he'd outgrown it.
But Patrick being Patrick drove it over hill and dale and sadly neglected its upkeep. When the time came for him to pass the tricycle down the line to the next recipient and custodian, it was simply unrecognisable to the immaculate tricyle I'd passed to him in trust. By the time he'd passed it onto his brother Peter, he'd allowed it to rust by leaving it outdoors in all weather and it also had a badly buckled front wheel. He was just never any good at looking after anything in the family's treasure chest. Indeed, I'd go so far as to say that had the family fortune been left in his hands, we'd all be beggars today; as buckled and broken as that old tricycle!
Have a happy birthday brother Patrick. I love you, but I wish you'd have taken better care of the family treasure. Big brother Billy x" William Forde: April 12th, 2015.
"When you're a member of a large family, there is always a birthday to celebrate. Yesterday was my youngest sister Susan's birthday and today is my brother Patrick's birthday (LHS of photo). Being positioned in a much loftier position of the family hierarchy and closer to me (the oldest Billy goat in the herd), Patrick was more likely to receive my hand-me-downs whereas the only thing handed down to Susan was 'Memories of the way we were' when she hadn't yet been born.
Patrick was born the middle of seven siblings and grew up for most of his life with his younger brother Peter by his side; often sharing my 'hand me downs' in both clothes and toys, as was the manner of the times.
I will never forget the tricycle that I passed down to him when the time arrived for him to have his own wheels. When I handed it over to Patrick, it was in pristeen condition and I gave him strict instructions to look after it as his brother Peter was next in line for it after he'd outgrown it.
But Patrick being Patrick drove it over hill and dale and sadly neglected its upkeep. When the time came for him to pass the tricycle down the line to the next recipient and custodian, it was simply unrecognisable to the immaculate tricyle I'd passed to him in trust. By the time he'd passed it onto his brother Peter, he'd allowed it to rust by leaving it outdoors in all weather and it also had a badly buckled front wheel. He was just never any good at looking after anything in the family's treasure chest. Indeed, I'd go so far as to say that had the family fortune been left in his hands, we'd all be beggars today; as buckled and broken as that old tricycle!
Have a happy birthday brother Patrick. I love you, but I wish you'd have taken better care of the family treasure. Big brother Billy x" William Forde: April 12th, 2015.
