This may be an old story to you, but well worth the repeat . . .
Billy Graham is now 92 years-old with Parkinson's disease.
In January, leaders in Charlotte , North Carolina , invited their
favorite son, Billy Graham, to a luncheon in his honor. Billy initially
hesitated to accept the invitation because he struggles with Parkinson's
disease. But the Charlotte leaders said, 'We don't expect a major
address. Just come and let us honor you.' So he agreed.
After wonderful things were said about him, Dr. Graham stepped to
the rostrum, looked at the crowd, and said, "I'm reminded today of
Albert Einstein, the great physicist who this month has been honored by
Time magazine as the Man of the Century. Einstein was once traveling
from Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle,
punching the tickets of every passenger. When he came to Einstein,
Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn't find his ticket, so he
reached in his trouser pockets. It wasn't there. He looked in his
briefcase but couldn't find it. Then he looked in the seat beside him.
He still couldn't find it. "The conductor said, 'Dr. Einstein, I know
who you are. We all know who you are. I'm sure you bought a ticket.
Don't worry about it.'" Einstein nodded appreciatively. The conductor
continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to
the next car, he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his
hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket. "The conductor
rushed back and said, 'Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don't worry, I know
who you are; no problem. You don't need a ticket. I'm sure you bought
one.'
Einstein looked at him and said, "Young man, I too, know who I am. What I don't know is where I'm going."
Having
said that Billy Graham continued, "See the suit I'm wearing? It's a
brand new suit. My children and my grandchildren are telling me I've
gotten a little slovenly in my old age. I used to be a bit more
fastidious. So I went out and bought a new suit for this luncheon and
one more occasion. You
know what that occasion is? This is the suit in which I'll be buried.
But when you hear I'm dead, I don't want you to immediately remember the
suit I'm wearing. I want you to remember this:
I not only know who I am. I also know where I'm going."
And may each of us have lived our lives so that when our ticket is punched we don't have to worry about where we are going.
