History Repeating Itself

My little Morgan loves to help Riley mow the lawn and push any type of wheelbarrow or wagon around. In fact, it's one of his favorite things to do. Whenever he stays at my parents house in Irrigon, 9 times out of 10 you can find him pushing their wheelbarrow all over their property pretending he's mowing the lawn and fixing things. Up hill and down hill, through dirt, grass, gravel, and rocks he pushes away. Sometimes in bare feet no less. He will do this for hours on end - rain or shine. It's a trait that makes him the little boy that he is.


I've always remarked to Riley how much I think our children resemble him as a child and also his father when he was little. On Sunday I was looking through an old photo album that one of Riley's aunts made for him with pictures of his dad and his grandparents. It is a true treasure. She documented dates and names and it is a real gift. I had looked at this picture of his father before, but this time I literally got goosebumps. Take a look a this little gem:

This is Riley's father Dwight James Dodson probably around age 2 or so and wouldn't you know it he's pushing an old lawn trimmer. Coincidence? The family resemblance is pretty strong. Morgan asked, is that me?

I never had the chance to meet Dwight because he passed away about 6 months before Riley and I met. Riley and his father were not that close and had a strained relationship most of his life, but I am so thankful for these pictures so that we can look back on his father's childhood and younger years and show our children and teach them a little about who their grandfather was.