As I sit at the computer this morning, I realized this is my last column for 2015. I was pondering life in general and the typical New Year’s resolutions and I recalled an email from my Mother that compared life to a train ride. As I searched cyberspace to find the story, I actually came across two that I felt were insightful and inspiring as we move into 2016. The first is a poem by Marv Hardin entitled “The Train of Life”.
Some folks ride the train of life, looking out the rear,
Watching miles of life roll by, and marking every year.
They sit in sad remembrance, of wasted days gone by,
And curse their life for what it was, and hang their head and cry.
But I don’t concern myself with that, I took a different bent,
I look forward to what life holds, and not what has been spent.
So strap me to the engine, as securely as I can be,
I want to be out on the front, to see what I can see.
I want to feel the winds of change, blowing in my face,
I want to see what life unfolds, as I move from place to place.
I want to see what’s coming up, not looking at the past,
Life’s too short for yesterdays, it moves along too fast.
So if the ride gets bumpy, while you are looking back,
Go up front, and you may find, your life has jumped the track.
It’s alright to remember, that’s part of history,
But up front’s where it’s happening, there’s so much mystery.
The enjoyment of living, is not where we have been,
It’s looking ever forward, to another year and ten.
It’s searching all the byways, never should you refrain,
For if you want to live your life, you gotta drive the train.
The second train of life story I found was actually the one I received from my Mother and it was attributed to a Mark Anthony (Houston) as being written in 2014. He wrote:
“Life is like a journey on a train…with its stations…with changes of routes…and with accidents! At birth we boarded the train and met our parents, and we believe they will always travel on our side. However, at some station our parents will step down from the train, leaving us on this journey alone.
As time goes by, other people will board the train; and they will be significant; our siblings, friends, children, and even the love of our life. Many will step down and leave a permanent vacuum. Others will go so unnoticed that we don’t realize that they vacated their seats!
This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations, hellos, goodbyes, and farewells. Success consists of having a good relationship with all the passengers…requiring that we give the best of ourselves. The mystery to everyone is: We do not know at which station we ourselves will step down. So, we must live in the best way – love, forgive, and offer the best of who we are.
It is important to do this because when the time comes for us to step down and leave our seat empty – we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who will continue to travel on the train of life. I wish you a joyful journey for the coming year on the train of life. Reap success and give lots of love. More importantly, be ever thankful for the journey!”
From all of us at Community Care for South Hastings – we wish you a happy, healthy New Year!