Monday, March 24, 2008

Scene from a train station


Little boy waits
London, ON, March 2008 [Click to embiggen]

Before we begin: If you haven't captioned yet, click here. I promise you it won't hurt. There, let's continue...
We've been experiencing a revolving door of extended-family illness of late. My father, father-in-law and mother-in-law have collectively logged enough time in hospital these past few months to qualify them for lifetime patient-of-the-month honors. It's a status I'm sure all of them would gladly decline.

When my wife went to Montreal earlier this month to be there for my father-in-law's surgery, I hung back at home with the little ones and tried to avoid inadvertently poisoning them with my unique kitchen creations. By virtue of the fact that I brought three very much live children to the train station to pick her up, I believe I succeeded.

As is typical of Canada's lame duck rail service, the train was late. Via Rail trains share the tracks with freight trains. And since slaughterhouse-bound cows must take precedence over human cargo, my wife's train sat on a siding for an hour and a half while I tried to find ways to amuse them. Note to self: fabric frisbees work wonders in cases like this. SMS also works well: I was able to tell her more about what was going on than the staff on the train could.

This scene captured what it felt like for us to be there, waiting for a train that threatened to never come. If anything, it made her arrival that much sweeter.

(And, no, his socks don't match. He's got an entire life to match to perfection. For now, we're fine letting him pick and choose his footwear. It made complete strangers smile, which made him happy despite the fact that he missed his mom.)

Your turn: Waiting for someone who matters. Please discuss.

10 comments:

kenju said...

When you're waiting for someone you love, even if the plane/train is on time - it feels like it's taking forever!

Anonymous said...

Glad she made it home safely. And the kidlet looks happy.

Great picture, great story. And what a great dad your kids have.

Anonymous said...

I can't even think of a caption that would suit this picture. The socks are adorable and you are right.. he has a lifetime for the details of life.. matching.

Rainbow dreams said...

lol just realised I commented about socks on the tree photo - it was appropriate I promise!

waiting for anyone who matters, especially knowing they are so close and yet you can't get to them.. is torturous...

hope you're nearly shot of hospitals now, Katie,x

Nestor Family said...

This photo is great and the sock story is adorable... and so good of you guys as parents.

Waiting for someone who matters... it just can't happen soon enough... this is the time when you want time to actually go faster and fly by, eh?

Glad you stopped by the ol' blog recently... have a great day, Carmi!

awareness said...

My husband is heading up to S. Ontario on Thurs to sort through his parents home with his siblings. Flying up...... our train system here was taken away and turned into the trans canada walking trail.

It's very difficult to be away from home when loved ones are ill. We coped with this for several years. Both of my husband's parents were in decline at the same time and ended up passing away two weeks apart from one another last June......... a lot of travel, and a lot of angst. Everyone had to pull together to keep moving forward.

I empathize with you and your family Carmi and send you love and strength.

I will be on my own this weekend with the kids, and we will all greet my husband (their Daddio) when he steps off the plane sometime next week........

smilnsigh said...

Saw your lovely comment over on MB's blog and I came over here, to see yours.

Precious photo. And great story to go with it.

I do hope your extended family will all be well now.

Mari-Nanci

Chris said...

I'm sorry to hear about your folks' health problems. And I love this photo - it reminds me of my own sartorially-challenged 6-year-old. They're wonderful creatures, aren't they?

ellen said...

that was such a lovely capture...i guess we all have to petty things inside a terminal or whatever while waiting for our ride. Me? i usually bring my laptop and watch my fav movies while waiting for hours..Thanks carmi for droppin by. I do really appreciate it my friend!....
Blesss you always..

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

awww!!! i love him coz of the very fact that his socks dont match..i used to goof up just like that :)