Marisa + Eric

Oct 12

The Station

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 windows 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 of corn and wheat, of flat lands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there our dreams will come true, and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering-waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.

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 the moment,” is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118, verse 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.

-Robert J. Hastings

Marisa + Eric were married on a beautiful fall day in Buffalo, NY. Their story began when Marisa’s cousin set them up on a blind date, and from that point on their story began, they have been traveling, hiking, and exploring new restaurants and bars with each other. Eric surprised Marisa while on a hike at Letchworth State Park when he got down on the bridge at the end of the trail and asked her to marry him.

Both Eric + Marisa love the story by Robert Hastings called the station, it holds a special place in their hearts because it was something Eric’s dad loved as well.