A Story and a Lesson
The old lady boarded the train and sat on one of the seats. She quickly noticed that the seat cover was torn, so she gathered her belongings angrily and moved to another seat near the front of the train. However, she was also annoyed there by a group of ladies having a loud conversation, so she moved this time to the middle of the train.
But she was also disturbed there by a crying child across the aisle, so she moved this time to the back of the train. However, she found the sunlight very annoying in this place, so she gathered her belongings again and moved to the other side, exhausted. Finally, she tried to immerse herself in contemplating the beautiful countryside...
But at that very moment, the driver called out the name of the city the old lady intended to get off at.
The poor lady sat for a short moment in great confusion, then said:
"If I had known the journey was this short, I wouldn't have spent all this time complaining and grumbling without stability or comfort, but I would have sat and enjoyed contemplating the beauty of nature from the first seat I sat on!"
The moral of this story is that the tragedy of life is not that it ends quickly, but that we wait too long to start it.
So, Lord, grant me the serenity and contentment to accept the things I cannot change, and begin changing myself to enjoy what Your hands have made, so I may glorify Your holy name now and forever and ever, Amen. 🙏