Enjoy Your Journey

Years ago, President Gordon B. Hinckley was speaking about marriage and quoted Jenkins Lloyd Jones.  Jones likens marriage to an old-time rail journey. 

President Hinckley said:

“Marriage requires a high degree of tolerance, and some of us need to cultivate that attribute. I have enjoyed these words of Jenkins Lloyd Jones, which I clipped from the newspaper some years ago. Said he:

‘There seems to be a superstition among many thousands of our young [men and women] who hold hands and smooch in the drive-ins that marriage is a cottage surrounded by perpetual hollyhocks to which a perpetually young and handsome husband comes home to a perpetually young and [beautiful] wife. When the hollyhocks wither and boredom and bills appear the divorce courts are jammed. …

‘Anyone who imagines that bliss [in marriage] is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed.

‘[The fact is] most putts don’t drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. …

‘Life is like an old-time rail journey—delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed.
‘The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride’.” (“Big Rock Candy Mountains,” Deseret News, 12 June 1973, A4.)  (Ensign, March 1977, p. 58.)

Life and marriage truly are “like an old-time rail journey.”  In fact, the same thing can be said of jobs, raising a family, serving in the Church and community and just about anything we choose to do.  Fortunately, there are things we can do to improve the ride.

One thing you can do to improve the ride is to make sure you are on the right train going to the right place! Read all the instructions and get the information you need to help you choose the right train.

Also, don’t depend on the train to do everything to make the trip spectacular.  Be prepared and take the things you might need.  One important thing to carry along is a good attitude.  My daughter took a trip to Israel.  On the day they visited shepherd’s hill outside of Bethlehem it was quite hot.  One traveler wouldn’t even leave the bus because of the heat.  How sad to miss shepherd’s hill because it was too hot.

If you aren’t currently experiencing a “beautiful vista” on your train ride, don’t just sit and stare out the window.  Learn to use what resources you have to improve the ride.  You could read a book, knit or do a puzzle. You could even help a fellow passenger and improve their ride, too!

Finally, learn to do as Jones suggests and “thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.”  Gratitude can change smoke and cinders into beautiful views when you learn to thank the Lord for His blessings and tender mercies.

Do your best to enjoy your personal rail journey!