I finally made it to work, grab my maps and head south for a site visit. I was not looking forward to it, not one little bit. At 8:30 am it was already 97 degrees outside, and the temperature was only going to rise. I drove onto the freeway, only to slow to a creeping crawl within two minutes. What else could possibly go wrong today?
Then, I saw it. The train. It was gliding across the overhead tracks, just as unconcerned as you please, slow and steady, getting to where it was going. There were four big engines, and then hundreds of freight cars, each spattered with colorful grafitti. I instantly thought of my Mom driving us around when I was a kid. When we went under a train bridge, she yelled “TRAIN!” and we all put our hands on the ceiling of the car to hold up the train. If we crossed railroad tracks, she yelled, “TRACKS”, and we all lifted our feet off the floor of the car. I play the same games with my kids today.
The sight of that train in the midst of a very trying morning was just perfect. It made me smile.
Keeping the Faith 