My Spot at the Table

Lyle, Eugene, Roger (behind Scott), Scott, and Keith’s elbow at the kitchen table.

My Spot at the Table (13 September 2019)

Every position in a family, from the oldest to the youngest, comes with a unique set of challenges, but we all play an important role. We all have a spot at the table! As you can see, my spot was between Scott and Eugene...

My older brothers probably had a lot more expected of them in the initial years on the farm as they helped my dad get the farm operations going. Eldon was just twelve when we moved to Idaho, yet he was expected to move a lot of pipe in those first years. I don’t know how much each pipe weighs, but I remember being surprised at how heavy they are when I started moving the hand-lines. It never seemed hard to watch my brothers move them...

They were also there when dairy cows entered the picture and when we tried doing 3-a-day milkings in order to increase milk production. I still remember picking Brian up from the airport after his mission to Spain. On the way home he asked me if we were still milking three times a day. He was very grateful that we weren’t! Before going on his mission (and before college?) Brian had been in charge of the night milkings and would listen to a radio station that would play the same songs in the same order every night. Soon Brian had them memorized and could always “predict” the next song the radio would play.

Eldon, Lynn, Mariet, and Brian.

Middle children often feel unnoticed. One time my brothers were playing a game and decided to lock Scott into a mostly-empty granary near our house. However, they got distracted and forgot to let him out. Some time later it was lunchtime, and although we called and called, Scott didn’t come and nobody seemed to know where he was. That is, until about halfway through lunch when it dawned on them that they’d never let him out of the granary! Not wanting to admit what they had done, they hurriedly finished lunch and ran out to set Scott free.

As the most middlest brother, Keith recounts the story of one day when he felt particularly neglected and decided to run away. He ran away to the mountains and stayed there for the better part of a day. He finally decided to return, thinking that everyone would be worried about him and wondering where he was. But soon after he returned home, he realized that nobody had even noticed that he was gone. That didn’t help him feel any better...

Brian, Keith, Scott, Eugene, Ronald, and Wayne surrounding me in the high chair. Finally getting the attention and cake I deserve!

We youngest children also felt picked on. I remember getting pinned to the ground while my brothers played “type-writer” on my chest. They also thought it was fascinating that my shins would bruise quite easily, so they’d hold my legs and use their middle knuckle to make “little” bruises up and down my shins.

As the youngest, Lyle and I would be squished in the back seat of the car whenever we went to church or another activity in town. This was during the time before seat belts were required by law, and often not available, so the capacity of a car was limited only by how close you could squish together. We could fit a lot of kids in one car, especially when my dad was serving as bishop and had to take the other car for his early-morning meetings. Lyle and I would have to scoot forward on the seat during those trips, squashed between big-brother legs on either side, and keeping our knees pressed together because separating them would take up too much space!

Despite our challenges, I was very blessed to be part of my family. Teachers liked me because my brothers had conditioned them to think highly of the “Greenwood boys”. Football and basketball coaches assumed I might have some talent hidden in 5’10”, 130lbs frame and gave me opportunities to play because my older brothers had succeeded. But more importantly, my older brothers’ good examples have been a constant source of strength throughout my life. Their examples in serving missions, going to college, getting married, raising families, and keeping the commandments have marked the path for a happy life and blessed me immeasurably.

And even though there was occasional teasing at home, my brothers always stood up for me. They defended my honor when I returned to school after being confined to home because I had mononucleosis (the kissing disease).  Turns out there are other ways to get mononucleosis besides kissing! Keith defended my name another time when I was running around with some friends while attending a basketball game when I was young. My skin has always been sensitive and will easily turn red when rubbed. One of my friends noticed red on my neck and announced that I had a hickey. I couldn’t dispute my friend’s announcement because I didn’t know what a hickey was. We soon ran into Keith and they showed him the “hickey” on my neck. They all admired Keith, so they quickly withdrew their assertion of any hickeys when Keith clearly dismissed the idea. This and other experiences helped me know that I could trust my brothers in all matters of importance.

My brothers were also a blessing at the dinner table. Apparently I would quite frequently fall asleep during dinner and fall out of my chair. That is why (as you can see in the first photo) that my chair was soon strategically placed between Eugene and Scott, so when I fell asleep I would fall onto one of their shoulders, and not onto the floor.

I love you and am proud of you! Thanks for being there for each other and not locking anyone in a granary! I look forward to seeing your relationships grow as you get older.

We’ll miss you April, but are excited for your college experience! We’ll keep a spot open at the table for you (between two big kids if you tend to fall asleep…).

Love,
Dad

Caleb, Sydney, Kelsey, Megan, and April.