A Tim Hortons grandfather

It was when my one year old son started waking early that I decided to start a new father/son traditionthe weekend Tims adventure. It was a simple way to enjoy my new boy and a cup of coffee. He needed a place to run off some energy at 7am what place was better than Tims? Now, Isaac, even at one year old, was not exactly shy. Using his new-found powers of balance and step he introduced himself to the local populous. Soon he became aware of that the same characters were coming in at the same time every weekend. He would grab his milk, leave his dad and sit with his new friendsespecially Al. Al would produce something for him to play with, a golf ball, some coinsor even a lottery scratch ticket. Months passed and his new crowd of friends increased, all the while dad was left sitting off on his own. Age or station made no difference, his friends ranged from retired air men, to a retired train conductor to a home care providerbut it was Al that he would go to first and stay with the longest. After a while Isaac would bring a few cars. I cant recall ever seeing so many older men get so excited over a toy car. They would build garages with napkins, make tissue into snow for the toy plow or make roads with coins, which they later donated to my increasingly smart sons college fund. Even a few of Tims finest regularly make a donation to the cause. It took eight months for dad to be invited to sit at a table with the new friends. Still Isaac would work the room, bringing his sippy cup of milk and his toys as he moved from group to group. It was the bond between Isaac and Al that grew most. Al has become a grandfather to Isaac, buying him gifts, teaching him new tricks and even coming over for dinner, where he sat with him on the floor for an hour only to have every single toy brought to him so the two of them could play. As a family we drove an hour and a half so Isaac could visit Al in the hospital after cancer surgery. Being in pain did not matter as much as sitting up and having his little boy sit on the bed and share his hospital muffin with himwhich he thankfully ate (a blessing since we later learned it was one of the few things Al could eat). To Isaac Tim Hortons is not just a coffee shop but where his family reunion takes place every weekend. The picture is Al and Isaac cheersing. It makes me smile because I know that on the next cheers Isaac hit Als coffee hard enough to spill it all over him.