On Track

"Excuse me, sir," I said to the conductor as he passed our seats, "Is 'Texas Chief' the name of the train we get on at Ft. Worth?" I wasn't sure if I remembered the name right, and the ticket info from the computer didn't specify. Changing trains was the only thing I had dreaded about the trip, because we always had to get our luggage, pull it the considerable distance into the station, wait for the train, then hurry and drag it out again when our connection came.

"No, it's the 'Texas Eagle,'" he clarified. "And it's probably already there. It will be the silver train right beside this one." I asked if there would be anything between us, meaning if we had to cross another track. "Nothing but about 15 feet of concrete," he said.

"Praise the Lord!" I said to my husband. This was surely an answer to prayer for my anxieties! And it was so simple! We got on and waited in comfort until we resumed the last leg of our journey. What if I hadn't asked the question? I wondered. We might have gone inside the station for a lot of needless work!

We had had an unusual beginning to the trip. When we arrived at the station in Norman, I waited with the luggage while Howard went to park the car. Suddenly three tall, imposing men appeared in khaki uniforms bearing the words "Police," on arm and chest and "Homeland Security," emblazoned on a sign worn on the back. One officer's hair was combed to stand up in a peak, adding to his height and Nordic appearance as he stood with arms crossed eyeing the passengers. They were asking random people to see their tickets and aimed a device with a red light at my luggage. It was a bit disconcerting, and I joked that I didn't know that one could not take liquids, as in air travel. They assured me they weren't looking for liquids. When I asked if they had received a threat, one replied, "No, if we had, you wouldn't be getting on the train!" Just increased security necessary in today's world, I concluded.

As usual, we found our fellow travelers interesting, and as usual Howard struck up a conversation with a passenger waiting with us. When he learned she had worked for Metropolitan Life for 35 years, he had to tell her that Phoebe P. Knapp, wife of Metropolitan's founder, wrote the music to Fanny J. Crosby's famous hymn, "Blessed Assurance." The lady was quite engrossed in his descriptive story. When I observed that Snoopy was now the company symbol, she agreed, saying her daughter tells people her mother works for Snoopy.

Even more interesting to me and so astounding that I pointed it out to Howard, was the resemblance of a passenger to my husband! It was like looking at an older version of Howard! Several senior gentlemen, obviously acquainted, were sitting near us in the observation car, gazing out at the passing Texas scenery. I did a double-take at the sight of one of them. He had the same handsome good looks as Howard, though aged, same nose and chin and general demeanor. It was amazing, seeming like a glimpse into the future.

When we got off the train and saw our son standing there, smiling in welcome, I couldn't help noticing a woman waiting and looking at us with the most dazzling smile! Her whole face radiated joy! As she kept smiling so expectantly, I realized she was probably the mother of a young woman who would be getting off behind us, who had spoken to us of her mother living there. It made me think of the happy reunion in heaven someday as loved ones meet us on our arrival. The happiest destination of all!