Last Saturday I went on a train ride. Just a short ride through the redwood forest. I learned several amazing facts about redwoods and trains while on this little ride. It was an old steam engine from the logging days of the past. It was a pleasant, slow ride up the mountain and back down and had a couple of switchbacks on the track too.

There was a time when the train was the way to travel in this country. That was not so many years ago. When I was five, my folks and I traveled by train from Denver, Colorado to St. Louis, Missouri. The only thing I really remember was the toy I got to bring along with me. It was a plastic motorcycle. It was all blue including the guy riding it except for the bright yellow wheels that actually turned. The train was the way to go back then.

My grandfather started as a fireman on the old coal burning engines. He used to tell me stories about trains. He told me the best way to fire a coal burner as well. My grandfather went on to become an engineer and drive trains too. So trains have a permanent place in my heart.

Nowadays, it’s mostly the sentimental train ride or the vacation train going through the spectacular scenery. Some places like Europe still have trains because they also have mass transit for getting around in a city. Plus the Europeans don’t mind walking here and there unlike some Americans. Maybe trains will catch on again in America when we decide to let them go fast such as the bullet trains. They also need to run between two points where people want to go as well.

But trains will always be around. Maybe they will be more for fun than transportation. Only time will tell. But there are things that last. Things we should not forget. Things that should always have a place in our heart. The most important thing is God. Being with God, spending time with Him and learning to love Him for all He has done for us. God should always have a special place in our heart!