Life is like a Ferris Wheel

This morning as I had my morning coffee, I was scrolling through my Facebook posts and one caught my eye, the story was familiar to me… someone was comparing life to a trip on a train. As I read it I kept thinking of this post, written years ago after I had an inspiration while talking to my son as he sat listening with his shiny trumpet in his hand, I had to re-post it…indulge me please…

I had an analogy that I told my son until he started quoting it ahead of me. I thought of it again yesterday as I was helping my dad into the car. I let out a little sigh, it didn’t mean anything except that I needed a little extra breath of air I guess, just a little tired, but my dad hearing that said, “Harolene you are so tired, I want you to know how much I appreciate everything you do for me and your mother. I feel like such a burden most of the time.” 

I quickly “heard” something that I needed to see about as I fastened him into his seat belt trying to hold back the tears. 

Why would my dad have to thank me? 

When I got my composure I said to him, “Daddy, why would you ever think you are a burden? Was I a burden when you had to pick me up and carry me everywhere? Was it too much for you when you had to spoon-feed me? What about the time that my bottle had gone sour when you and mother were at a church convention and the little town in North Carolina didn’t have one store open for you to buy milk and I screamed for hours until you finally found someone to have mercy on you for milk? Remember the day I was walking on the cement blocks and stuck my foot down in the hole and my white high top shoe, which was laced tightly, wouldn’t come off my foot and you had to come home from doing business at the church to take a hammer and break that block to free my foot? What about the day I got into a fight with a girl in the gym during that basket- ball game, didn’t you come to the school and take care of me without even asking me why it had happened? No daddy, you are no more trouble to me than I was to you, and not as much because I don’t have to change your diaper!” 

At that he gave a little smile and a chuckle, and I knew that laugh meant the serious moment had passed.

Now, what was the analogy?

I told my son that life is like a Ferris Wheel at the Fair. There are people getting on and off all the time. While it is stopped letting some people off and others are getting on, there are people way up at the top just swinging and looking around, some others swaying on the sides and all around except at that one point of entry/exit.

While babies are being born there are people dying*. People that are young just waiting for their chance to conquer life, middle aged people who are working and raising children, and then the group that have retired and don’t find much to do that will make their day interesting, just waiting to get off the ride. 

We all get on and then comes the time to exit.

Find someone that needs a little encouragement and find a way to brighten their day. Remember that one day you may be in trouble and need help, how do you want to be treated?

Jesus said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” Luke 6:31

Ecclesiastes 3:2-8 For everything there is a season. A right time for birth and another for death, A right time to plant and another to reap, A right time to kill and another to heal, A right time to destroy and another to construct, A right time to cry and another to laugh, A right time to lament and another to cheer, A right time to make love and another to abstain, A right time to embrace and another to part, A right time to search and another to count your losses, A right time to hold on and another to let go, A right time to rip out and another to mend, A right time to shut up and another to speak up, A right time to love and another to hate, A right time to wage war and another to make peace.

*On May 8, 2013 my nephew and his wife welcomed a baby girl into their life. They called the hospital where my dad was and told us to tell him that he had a new great-granddaughter. Daddy was very happy when I told him. It was a baby girl he would never meet on this earth, he died that evening at 6 pm. One got on, one got off…