The Leaf Story

Richard Eyre, co-Author of “The Happy Family,” tells the story about a birthday tradition he celebrates with his wife and children every year. “On my birthday in October, we had always raked huge piles of leaves with the kids and then jumped in them, stuffed them in our shirts, threw them in the air, and just generally had a wild time. We thought, as the kids got older, their interest in such frivolous activity would fade. On the contrary, the leaf piles just got bigger. Finally, one year, four of our children were away at school. On my birthday, four birthday cards arrived. As I opened the first, a leaf fell out and a note, “Dad, I honored your birthday tradition. Here’s a leaf from my jumping pile. I love you.” Through my tears I opened the other three – and a leaf fell from each.”