Introducing Sunday Reading...

I probably hear Corinthians 13:4 at least once a month starting in May or June with the first wedding of the year and by October I can pretty much recite the reading from memory. But there's a reason why it's so often chosen for weddings - it's simply great advice:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4

And so I'd like to introduce a new blog topic, each Sunday I'll share with you some of my favorite readings, poems and other essays that I've either heard at a wedding or that just inspire me.

For the inaugural entry we have The Station by Robert J. Hastings. A great friend (hello Kate - when are we next meeting for drinks?) shared this with me a few weeks ago. Who hasn't done the whole "when I start a new job...when I lose 10lbs...when...when", and this is all about living in the moment:

The Station by Robert J. Hastings
Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the window we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, or city skylines and village halls.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour we will pull into the station. Banks will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering – waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.

“When we reach the station, that will be it!”, we cry. “When I’m 18.” “When I buy a new SL Mercedes Benz!” “When I put the last kid through college.” “When I have paid off the mortgage!” “When I get a promotion.” “When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after!”

Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.

“Relish in 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.” It isn’t the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.

So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.

And because every post is always better with a picture and with the "go barefoot more often" sentiment in mind, here's one from last Monday in Costa Rica (tune back in tomorrow for more on that - go on - you know you want to - what's better than looking at someone else's vacation pictures):

And if you have a favorite poem or reading, I'd love to hear about it...

1 comment

  1. Too many to mention--and this one is a bit too long to post--but I *love* "Hyla Brook" by Robert Frost.

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