Russ Towne's A Grateful Man

When our children were young we were fortunate to have the option of being able to have a parent stay at home to raise our children while the other worked outside the home. My Beloved chose to focus her many talents on raising our children and I’m so glad that she did as they turned out wonderfully. She made a great full-time mom.

For the most part, I enjoyed being a part-time dad, but must admit that I missed much while I was away from my family. The story I’m about to share is one of those times.

My Beloved was one of those moms who took our kids to many interesting events, places, and activities. One of their favorite places to visit was the San Francisco Zoo.

One day, while at the zoo My Beloved took our two boys to the gorilla enclosure. A huge window separated the families of humans from those of gorillas. Our oldest son, Ben, was about four years old, and Brian was a very active one year old who was riding in his stroller at the time.

Ben was in awe of the gorillas and gently placed his little hand on the window, with his flattened palm facing them.

A giant silverback saw the gesture, walked over to the window, and gently placed his huge paw on the other side of the window exactly opposite Ben’s hand. They would have been touching if not for the window barely separating them. Ben wasn’t intimidated by the immense size of the powerful creature. As they stood there facing each other it was like a powerful connection was being made.

My Beloved said it was a magical moment that took her breath away. I feel the magic just writing about it decades later.

Love,
Russ