Last week - when dad was still in the hospital, my sister and her husband and Debbie stopped on the way to dinner to get this shot. It's a little surreal as well - and I know you can read anything into anything. But this death thing is an odyssey to me - as I thankfully haven't seen that much in my life.


But from a Christian point of view...

It is a strange lead engine with Road markings that don't belong on a Union Pacific train. - Like an outsider who has come for one purpose. (as in the Dark Stranger in Rendezvous in Samara)

Missouri Pacific RR was bought out by Union Pacific. MOPAC was dad's last railroad job. This is on the Union Pacific tracks once owned by MOPAC

It is covered in blood red on the front - covering the blackness that lie beneath and behind. Somewhat like the blood of the Lamb that covers our sins.

It is pulling out of Enid station - not into it.

The train is leaving the station - much like Dad was leaving the building.

It is leaving the dark side of the picture and heading toward the light side.

There is no visible engineer.


People get ready
Theres a train a-coming
You dont need no baggage
You just get on board
All you need is faith
To hear the diesels humming
Dont need no ticket
You just thank the lord

-- Curtis Mayfield


A funny co-incidence, Someone arranged for an unusual escort. Dad was buried in a small cemetery outside of Carrier, Oklahoma. As we sat facing the casket at the grave side - you could see in the distance a railroad line about a 1/4 mile away.

Dad had at one time worked for the railroads before he took a job at Boeing and we lived in Wichita about the same distance away from the Santa Fe rail line for a while when I was a kid.

Just as the Coast Guard Color Guards were preparing to fold the flag and with the first note of Taps played by the Bugler - a BNSF train started blowing its horn as it approached the crossing - on key - with the bugler and blew the whole time it was being played. So, during the playing of Taps, that train went by in the distance back of the casket - between the top of the casket and the bottom of the flag as they held it. I took the opportunity to lean over to my sister and whisper: "you know BNSF is the same as the Santa Fe that ran past our house in Wichita". Had we been about 2 inches shorter, it would have looked like the train ran from left to right - head to toe, across the top of the casket.

It was surreal in a way - and to be honest, i wished i had my camera in hand at that moment.

As the last car of the train finally went by the end of the casket, the Color Guard knelt down and handed me the flag and said something about how the President and a grateful nation thanked us for my dad's service to this country during WWII.

And that was it. We stood alone in the Oklahoma morning, the wind blew as it does in those parts, the sun shown and we walked away knowing for the rest of us, life goes on.