The Station

THE STATION

By Robert J. Hastings


TUCKED AWAY in our subconscious minds is an idyllic vision in which we see ourselves on a long journey that spans an entire continent. We're traveling by train and, from the windows, we drink in the passing scenes of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at crossings, of cattle grazing in distant pastures, of smoke pouring from power plants, of row upon row upon row of cotton and corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of city skylines and village halls.


But uppermost in our conscious minds is our final destination--for at a certain hour and on a given day, our train will finally pull into the Station with bells ringing, flags waving, and bands playing. And once that day comes, so many wonderful dreams will come true. So restlessly, we pace the aisles and count the miles, peering ahead, waiting, waiting, waiting for the Station.


"Yes, when we reach the Station, that will be it!" we promise ourselves. "When we're eighteen. . . win that promotion. . . put the last kid through college. . . buy that 450SL Mercedes-Benz. . . have a nest egg for retirement!"


From that day on we will all live happily ever after.


Sooner or later, however, we must realize there is no Station in this life, no one earthly place to arrive at once and for all. The journey is the joy. The Station is an illusion--it constantly outdistances us. Yesterday's a memory, tomorrow's a dream. Yesterday belongs to a history, tomorrow belongs to God. Yesterday's a fading sunset, tomorrow's a faint sunrise. Only today is there light enough to love and live.


So, gently close the door on yesterday and throw the key away. It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad, but rather the regret over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who would rob us of today.


"Relish the moment" is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24, "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."


So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, swim more rivers, climb more mountains, kiss more babies, count more stars. Laugh more and cry less. Go barefoot oftener. Eat more ice cream. Ride more merry-go-rounds. Watch more sunsets. Life must be lived as we go along. The Station will come soon enough.


 
The guest minster did this as a sermon today at church. Robert Hastings was featured with this story in one of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. How honest is his writing? It is true that if we concetrate mostly on that huge house, that suped up car, the name brand clothes, our looks...and so on...how when we get these things the feeling is wonderful but also short lived.....especially if we are not achieving these things with God by our sides. The joy of material items does not last. Money comes and goes, cars break down, houses constantly need upkeeping, and so on. The only thing that stays consistant is God's love for us. God wants us to achieve our dreams, but by going through him. If you do not go through God's will and God's chosen path for you, your dreams once achieved will either not last, or turn out not being enough. You will want more, because you are not feeling the joy and love from God. Without God in your life, there will consistantly be an emptiness. Believe me, I know first hand. If you ignore God's will you will run into problems, feel stressed, feel alone, angry, sad and frustrated. Achieving your dreams will be hard.
 
God, now being a very important part of my life has shown me that all things ARE possible with him. And, he will bring all good into your life and help you achieve your dreams leaving you feeling like they are no work at all. Why I struggled so much in my past was because I wanted what I wanted and wasn't listening to God.
 
If you find yourself in the same situation...or similar situation, over and over again, it is because you are not learning from it. God wants us to learn and become better people from the lessons we learn. If you feel trapped in a cirlce of stress because your life is one huge circle....know that if you do not learn your lesson, God will bring it around AGAIN! It is a pattern that you can get out of just by listening to God. The joy you receive is undescribable. With God, you appreciate so much more in life. I feel that as long as I can smell roses, view amazing sunsets, feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, obtain long lasting loyal friendships, spend time with my family, squeeze my children, maintain my job, stay healthy, have my pets lay on my lap, taste a butterscotch krimpet, have a roof over my head, and feel God's love......there is nothing more that I need.
 
What I am thankful for today:
my home
my children
my pets
all of my wonderful loving, faithful, understanding, friends
my family
God
my church
the wonderful opportunities that have been arising
allowing God to shine through me
Amy Grant
my new teachers
new ideas
the simple things in life
living for each moment
life lessons (hopefully learned..LOL!)
unconditional love
laughter
my store
my strength
open mindedness
positive attitudes
inspiration
appreciation
hugs
faith
hope
peace

The Serenity Prayer

The Serenity Prayer


God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.



Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him

Forever in the next.

Amen.




Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will direct your paths.



Proverbs 3, 5-6



What I am thankful for today:
The ones who accept me for who I am
laughter
my children
new opportunities and endless possibilities
positive attitudes
appreciation
hearing from random people that I am a pleasure to be around because no matter what, I am always smiling!
knowing that life is too short to walk around with a frown
Dr. Deb
Veggie Tales
my church
God
the power of prayer
my health
having Pappy and Jean over for dinner tomorrow night!
the health and happiness of all my friends and family
a free gym membership ( ;
my pets
my home
my store
nature
motivation
love
patience
kindness

Looking Out for the Well-Being of Others is TRUE Love

I was watching a movie with Makenna today, she is still on her Veggie Tales kick. Larry (the cuccumber) mentioned in the movie a line that I love. He said, "Looking out for the well-being of others is TRUE love." I completely believe that. Who completely takes care of us? Our parents do as we are children but then we are left to figure out life alone. At least that is how some people view their life. Taking this 'walk with the Lord' I believe is how Yvonne put it, I have realized that none of us are alone. It is what we choose to believe. God surrounds us and looks out for our well-being, whether we acknowledge that or not. Our loved ones who have passed away surround us and protect us along with our angles and spirit guides.

Once we acknowledge that we are being taken care of by the light of those surrounding us on the other side, we are able to look out for the well-being of others. It is when we feel very alone and in a dark place that we cannot do this. In times of darkness, we have to take care of ourselves first by turning to God and those who walk in the light.

I always consider myself one to look out for the well-being of others. It is just my nature. I love people and I love being able to make a difference in people's lives. Going to that homeless shelter only made me realize more how much I want to give to those less fortunate than myself. I believe my calling in life is to help others in any way that I can. Making other people's dreams come true is far more important to me that making my own come true. My 2010 resolution is to help others. It is to become aware of people's needs and give, give, give. I will also work on showing more graditude and continue taking my 'walk with the Lord.'

What I am thankful for today:
my church
God
being surrounded by so many who protect and guide me
my friends
my family
Gavin and Makenna
my pets
my new inspirational blog http://www.happyinspirationalscrappin.blogspot.com/
selflessness
inspirational quotes
Veggie Tales
my customers
my store
time
healing
forgiveness
appreciation
laughter, laughter, laughter
love, love, love

The Joy of Celebrating Someone's Life

At Melinda's Nan's funeral yesterday I realized how important and how awesome it is to celebrate someone's life. Yes, funerals and cemetaries are places where one can go and grieve. And it does make us heal when we take the time to grieve the loss of a loved one. During the service 3 speakers mentioned the importance of knowing that our loved one who had passed is in a better place. We need to put aside our loss for a moment and know that they are in Paradise. In order to help us deal with grief it is important to celebrate the person's life.

Melinda spoke of funny memories of her Nan....lots I didn't know. She spoke awesome qualities that Nan had. Nan was helpful and always taking care of everyone...even on her death bed. Now that is a selfless person. Nan had a strong belief in God. And, she knew she was ready to go home. Although it leaves us sad because we can no longer see her, touch her, or hear her voice, we need to remember that she is always with us. And, we will meet up with her again. I laughed a lot yesterday. Probably the most I have ever laughed at a funeral. But as I am older, I can put into perspective of what is more important. It is more important that we celebrate Nan's life and not focus on our loss because of her death. Nan wants us to laugh and be happy. She wants us to be able to heal and know that she is always with us.

Aunt Nancy is very upset that she has not seen her humming bird yet. I mentioned to her that it may take some time. Not only that but I realize that there is a part of Nancy that doesn't fully believe it will happen. She told Nan before she passed that Nan was to show her a humming bird as a sign that she was ok and near Nancy. Well, last night when I got home. I put on Max and Ruby for Makenna and I. I look up at the TV and there was a humming bird on the show. My mouth dropped and I immediately called Melinda. Nan let me know she was at peace because I believe in seeing the signs. I thanked Nan and told her that she needs to come through for Nancy. Hopefully Nancy will be open to it when it comes or she may miss it. Good news is that our loved ones will not stop showing us the signs, it may just be a long time until we actually see them.

What I am thankful for today:
Signs from our loved ones
Celebrating someone's life
the honor to help Melinda's family yesterday
Melinda's family treating me as their own
my sign from Mimi yesterday
church with Makenna yesterday morning
the Lion's Club breakfast
heat
Diane for watching my store yesterday
my children
my friends
my bottle of sanity with a hint of tollerance...LOL!
WII Active Sports game (love it!)
signs, signs, everywhere there's signs
laughter
PartyLite
my store
love
kindness
appreciation

Faith, Patience and Fulfillment

“For the vision…will surely come.”
-Habakkuk 2:3

Between your dream and its fulfillment you’ll be tested. You’ll face some of the same things Joseph faced, like: (1) The faith test. He had to maintain his faith in a hostile environment, and believe in a dream nobody else believed in. He had no “dreamer’s support network,” he had to stand alone. (2) The patience test. His dream wouldn’t happen quickly. A boy at its conception, he’d be a mature man before its fulfillment. Every day he’d have to hold onto it or risk losing it. Patience isn’t just hoping things work out; it’s persevering and believing what God said, “Ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise” (Heb 10:36). (3) The strength test. For a while Joseph’s circumstances made the critics appear to be right. He was, after all, in a pit, frightened, alone, in a strange land without family or friends, in prison with an unearned criminal record. He must remain strong in his conviction that his dream was really from God. (4) The focus test. With enough emotional baggage to derail a freight train—sibling resentment, abandonment, false accusation and compound losses—he must constantly control his focus. Fixating on his problems would have produced disillusionment. Maintaining dream-focus would be his salvation. (5) The readiness test. When God finally began opening doors he had to be ready for action! Discouragement or negative thinking would blind him to opportunity. So he kept his spirit and his gifts honed, took every occasion to use them, and watched as God turned his vision into reality.

There were many of these scriptures that I have received in the last few days that I really wanted to post. However, lack of time kept me from keeping up with it. I chose this one because it not only has personal meaning but I also know a lot of people who would benefit from this scripture. I hope that everyone had a safe and happy New Year! God bless!

What I am thankful for today:
the saying 'Never give up!"
Knowing that the tests we encounter in life only mold us and prepare us for living our dreams.
time
healing
my children
my pets
my family
my friends
Shawn
strength
courage
appreciation
this new year
my new found ability
laughter
love