Walking the Train Tracks, Chapter 2

An excerpt from my upcoming book.

Aug 29, 2020

This is the second chapter of the book I am writing called, “Walking the Train Tracks” (see chapter 1 here). Please enjoy, and give me comments below. Thank you.

Chapter Title: Soul
The father balled up his t-shirt and placed it on the sun-baked rail so he could sit without burning himself. His skin prickled under the intense August sun. The father savored the sun’s rays. He took a long drink from his bottle of cold water. The boy also had his shirt off in imitation of his father. The father handed the boy the bottle and motioned for him to take a drink.
The father picked up a handful of pink granite stones and threw each at an old telephone pole. The occasional stone would clunk and ricochet off the pole. Others would silently disappear into the tall grass.
The father lifted the water bottle to his lips and gulped the water down. He looked at the boy’s brilliant blue eyes.
“Take care of this body of yours,” the father grabbed the boy’s arm for emphasis. “You need to drink plenty of clean water. You need to eat good, nutritious foods. Love your body and take care of it. But eventually it will get old and die. But don’t be too sad about this.”
“Remember that this body is not you. You are Soul. You are immortal and eternal. You will never die. God created you because God loves you. You, as Soul, are created in God’s image. You are the most wondrous creation in existence.
Your Soul is the real you. It’s the part of you that loves and celebrates life. As Soul, you exist beyond your emotions and your thoughts. Your Soul is the highest part of you. Your Soul is the source of all creativity and love and pure joy in your life.
Your body is a just temporary home for your Soul in this world. When it’s your time to go, you will leave your body and simply move onto the next great adventure that God has in store for you. Understand what I’m saying. It’s not a part of you that will survive. You, the real you, everything that makes you you will survive and will continue on your journey.
When your body dies, it will be like waking up from a dream. And just like waking up from a dream, your new reality will be much more real than this world.
So don’t be ruled by a fear of death. Many people are scared of death because they don’t understand this simple truth that I’m telling you now. They identify themselves with their bodies, so how can they not be scared of death? By understanding the truth; that only your body will die while you continue to live your spiritual adventure, you will be freed from your fear so that you can truly live your life. More than this, you can love life!
Also remember that I am also Soul, as is everyone else on this planet. It doesn’t matter whether a Soul is living in a black or white or male or female body. The body doesn’t matter. Each person on Earth is a Soul; a wonderful spark of God. Respect each person as a divine creation, because that’s what we are.
“Right now, as I tell you this you understand what I’m saying, don’t you?”
The boy nodded.
“As you grow older I want you to think about this again many times. Ask God to help you understand yourself as Soul. You will come to a greater understanding of this vital point and as you do fear will never have the same hold on you again.”
The father looked the boy in the eyes and said, “Will you remember to do this throughout your life?”
“Sure dad.” The father put his arm around his son’s shoulder and gave him a squeeze of love. He gently pulled the boy’s head closer and kissed his tangled hair.
The father took one last drink of water as he sighed loudly. He stood up and put his crumpled t-shirt on. He picked up a handful of rocks for throwing at random targets and found his balance on the rail. The boy watched his father take a few steps and then calmly got up to follow.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this chapter.