Condolences to the Clary family

[Pantera]

Wow - I just noticed this.

What can I say but that it is at times like this that words can not say enough to convey the sadness I am sure that myself and all of us on the forum must feel.

Dee and I hope you find the strength to get through these hard times. Just be thankfull you had him all these great years. Mine passed when I was only 15. You just don't know how lucky you were to have him all these years.

It is at sad times like these, that this little story comes to mind.

I would like to share it with everyone.

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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 poring from power plants, of row upon row of cotton and corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of city skylines and village halls.
But uppermost in our 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 for the station. “Yes, when we reach the station that will be it!” we promise ourselves. “When we’re 18 .... win that promotion ... put the last kid through college ... buy that 450 SL Mercedes-Benz ... pay off the mortgage ... 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 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.
“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 more often. Eat more ice cream. Ride more merry-go-rounds. Watch more sunsets,. Life must be lived as we go along.

Copyright 1886 by the Southern Illinois University Press



Pantera