An Early Concept of Forgiveness and Propitiation

Age ~ 2

The street in the front of our house on Harwood and 3rd was unpaved.  Lots of enigmatic viny green plants grew along the base of the high curb.  We were all in the yard playing when my older sister thought about the plants.  She went over to the curb to look at them.  I toddled over to see what she was looking at.

“Those are button weeds,” she told me, pointing down at the greenery in the street right next to the curb.  My brother and twin sister came over to look at what we were staring and pointing at.

My sister stepped down into the street and began to play with the small buttons that were connected to each vine.  She carefully peeled one of the green buttons open and put the flesh colored kernel in her mouth.  She softly said “Mmmmmmm!” as she looked up at me, chewing the morsel.

Despite what our mother had instructed us about staying out of the street, I decided if my sister could play in the street, so could I.  My brother and my twin sister were soon in the street as well, all of us picking and opening the little buttons.

They did taste good!

Suddenly I heard my mother in the yard.  I remember peeking above the curb and watching as she grabbed my brother by his arm.  Holding that arm by her right hand, she started swatting his little behind with her left hand.  While she swatted him she told him that since he was the oldest, he should know better.

I distinctly remember thinking, ‘Why was that his fault?’  I remember thinking my mother was being unfair to him.  I also remember thinking I was glad it was my brother that was beings spanked instead of me.

So my brother took ultimate responsibility for my wrongdoing.  What a novel concept.  This memory would be formative in my concept of Christianity.