Boy by the Train & Happy Thanksgiving Day

Today I'll be sitting down with my 'rents, kids, THE MAN, little Gram and Ant C to have a huge Turkey Supper. It will be amazing, warm, funny, and lots of wine will be consumed.

We will be thankful that we're all in good health, together, and have a great feast to eat.

Which brings me around to my page.

When I was in Peru, we took a train to get to Machu Picchu which was super amazing. It had a glass top so you could look up into the mountains and huge windows to look out into the rain forest and up into the mountains.

It was half way there when our train stopped. I could see this little shack in the distance and thought it made a cute photo with the itty bitty little boy watching the train. He reminded me of my friend Kristy's boy Calvin who also likes trains.

Here is the photo with the background. 

It was not until we got much closer when I realized he was all by himself. I wondered at a culture so different from mine. When I had kids that size, they were firmly attached to me and I was always fearful that some great evil would befall them if I didn't constantly keep them in eye sight. Obviously he was just fine by himself watching the train go by. 

So, I threw an American quarter at him (it was a slow moving train) because I thought he'd think it was fun. Of course, the nervous nellie Momma in me thought oh no choking hazard! 

He grabbed that quarter and took off. My Dad and I had a good laugh and we went back to watching the scenery. 

On the return trip from Maccu Picchu, we stopped in the same spot. The whole family was out that time and taking handouts from people in the train. The shack was a house and four or five people were collecting candy, dollars, and food. 

One man had no hands and had to scramble to pick up a granola bar with his wrists that the gentleman on the opposite side of the train threw. 

I had a terrible feeling in my stomach that we on that train had so much. A lovely vacation, a beautiful train ride and these people had our scraps. 

So, today, I am thankful for where I'm sitting in the place called Life. And I do hope deep down that the boy watching the train manages to take that train somewhere and make a great life for himself.