{"id":111,"date":"2011-12-08T20:43:35","date_gmt":"2011-12-09T01:43:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jackcampbelljr.wordpress.com\/?p=111"},"modified":"2011-12-08T20:43:35","modified_gmt":"2011-12-09T01:43:35","slug":"a-train-ride-to-an-unknown-stop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jackcampbelljr.com\/index.php\/2011\/12\/08\/a-train-ride-to-an-unknown-stop\/","title":{"rendered":"A Train Ride to an Unknown Stop"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cA great man is always willing to be little.\u201d \u2013 Ralph Waldo Emerson<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The curse of living is not age, but the aging of those around you.\u00a0 One by one, the flowers of your life, those who brought you the greatest color and beauty, whither and return to the Earth.<\/p>\n

You move on, not because you want to, but because you must.\u00a0 Life\u2019s locomotion chugs always forward, the Little Engine that Could Not Help Itself.\u00a0 You carry on the memory of those you passed along the way, those who got off the train at one stop or another.<\/p>\n

Your ticket is one with no destination.\u00a0 You ride the rail, ignorant of its path, never knowing what mountain or plain that will next grace the view.\u00a0 From your window seat, you watch the storms, quivering with a child\u2019s fear, then soak in the glory of the breaking sun, relieved to have survived.<\/p>\n

In the confined quarters of the passenger car, you meet fellow travelers.\u00a0 Some ride for only short, barely noticed spurts.\u00a0 Others have ridden for as long as you remember, seeming to have as steady a presence as the train itself.<\/p>\n

One of the greatest passengers I have known, my Grandpa Joe, is likely nearing the end of his travel. \u00a0I fear his departure may leave me missing one of my great influences, one of the few people I\u2019ve known who can transcend the scenery, never affected by snow or storm, he speaks with everyone, yelling affectionate greetings of \u201cHey little sister!\u201d or \u201cHey little brother!\u201d to all the children, promising to take them fishing, the way he did their mothers and fathers, the way he did me.<\/p>\n

On his worst days, his mood has rarely been darkened.\u00a0 Sitting and chatting in his overalls, with a crucifix dangling lightly from the front pocket, he always has the appearance of comfort, despite all the pain his body has given him, especially of late.<\/p>\n

He is a man who has read the bible cover to cover multiple times.\u00a0 His relationship with God is personal and strong, and his loyalty to his family as absolute and concrete as his faith.<\/p>\n

People speak of self-actualization, those who obtained it, defining it by example.\u00a0 My example is him.\u00a0 His is the happiness I most admire, not fueled by possessions and titles, but by love.<\/p>\n

The world has changed around him.\u00a0 The small-town gas station he owned, often leaving the pumps unattended, the door unlocked, trusting even strangers to leave money for the gas they took, is gone.\u00a0 Nothing of it remains.\u00a0 The home he owned, the one in which he raised his children and his raccoon hounds, is more in need of bulldozing than restoration.\u00a0 But his mark on the world, his little section of rural Iowa, is permanent and absolute.<\/p>\n

If a man\u2019s worth is gauged by love, then he is rich beyond any I have met.\u00a0 Where others aspire for the riches of Bill Gates, or the looks of Holly Berry, I aspire only for the happiness of Joe Brammer.<\/p>\n

I know we are nearing his stop.\u00a0 As he lays in hospice, surrounded by his living legacy, God stands with him, smiling at the work he has done.\u00a0 The train is slowing, the brakes shrieking sparks, as we approach the depot.\u00a0 I am sad, not just for myself, but for all of us.\u00a0 My Grandpa Joe will soon be leaving the train.\u00a0 The ride will never be the same without him.\u00a0 I have no doubt that deep in your heart, whether you know him or not, you will miss him, as well.<\/p>\n

The horizon darkens.\u00a0 The winter night will be bitter cold. \u00a0 But daybreak always comes again, smiling warmly like Grandpa Joe.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cA great man is always willing to be little.\u201d \u2013 Ralph Waldo Emerson The curse of living is not age, but the aging of those around you.\u00a0 One by one, the flowers of your life, those who brought you the greatest color and beauty, whither and return to the Earth. You move on, not because […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-personal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jackcampbelljr.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jackcampbelljr.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jackcampbelljr.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jackcampbelljr.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jackcampbelljr.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jackcampbelljr.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jackcampbelljr.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jackcampbelljr.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jackcampbelljr.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}