Scanning Sunday

This is one of my favorite photos ever.

We were in New Hampshire (I think) and we went to a county fair. It was me, Brendan, Jean, Siobhan, and a very young Cashel. There was this maze sort of place – where you had to climb rope ladders and go across suspended bridges – and kids were having a blast with it. You crawled through tunnels and finally, at the end, you got to slide down a slide, out of the maze. So Cashel bravely begins his journey. We watched him through the gate. We were laughing so hard we were crying. He was so serious as he climbed the rope ladder. He was very concerned about everything. Then he got up to the second level (you could see it through the gate) – and it involved him having to pass through another area to get to the slide – and maybe it was that he could SEE us below – maybe it was that he didn’t like heights – maybe it was all just overwhelming – but he started to have a MELTDOWN. Of MAJOR proportions. And the worst part was: we all coudl SEE him melting down, above us on the second level, but we couldn’t get to him. In order to get to him, you would have to go through the whole maze. We called up encouragement to him, which just made the situation worse. He was screaming, and the look of terror on his eyes was heart-wrenching. “You’re almost there, Cash!” we screamed up at him. “You just have to go thru that tunnel to get to the slide!” But he was in panic mode now. Far far far away from all comfort and care. His aunties were MILES away below him, so was his dad … he FREAKED.

So Brendan waited no longer and charged into the maze to go rescue Cashel.

Jean, Siobhan and I watched on, laughing until we were in tears, at Brendan struggling up the rope ladder, pushing past all the little pipsqueaks, calling out, “I’M COMING CASHEL, I’M COMING!”

Cashel hadn’t seen his dad charge into the maze so he was still wild-eyed with despair and panic, caught and trapped, and we screamed up at him, “DADDY’S COMING, CASH – DADDY’S COMING!”

Brendan finally got up to the platform where Cash was and there was a tearful reunion.

Then, the two of them crawled through the tunnel, to go slide down the slide together.

Jean, Siobhan and I were all crying – and as the two of them slid down together – we all FLIPPED. It was like an Olympic event or something, seeing them emerge. We were screaming and clapping …

But the best part of this photo is that Cashel is grinning from ear to ear. He’s back where he should be, protected by his father. So now he can enjoy the ride.

It’s a perfect picture.