Hello TSJ Peeps!
For those of you who are regular readers, I apologize I am late writing this WW blog. But rest assured, I have been thinking about you and your journeys with a deep awareness of how so many of you face your days with courage and faith. And Wednesday is our day to share our journeys … to reflect and to play.
I am also filled with thankfulness for your faithful sharing of compassion and caring at this point in our journey.
Thank you again.
Mr. Tom, our chief supporting officer and focus of affection and attention here at TSJ headquarters, had a long and difficult night and so did his favorite caregiver… yours truly.
So this morning was jammed full with caring for him and making the calls to hospice medical team members. He is now sleeping peacefully. And it appears the night was likely a shadow experience more than anything major happening.
What is a shadow, really? I am thinking about . . . and wondering . . . what did the poet and shepherd (David) mean when he wrote….
“Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.” Psalm 23:4 (KJV) ?
I think he meant that there is nothing to fear. A shadow is not real. And God’s presence is real. Always. Perhaps you have another interpretation. This idea comforts me at this time.
But truthfully, Solomon missed his usual pat on the head and Mr. Tom’s encouragement to “work hard for the Wednesday Wisdom.” And SJ was so sad and anxious that Solomon had his work cut out. Solomon was not anxious. He knows the one who is in charge of all peeps and has lived long enough to realize all is well when we surrender to the Shepherd’s care.
Still, the long shadows of last night disturbed young SJ. (I hope you are smiling.) So Solomon decided it might be good to explain a wee bit about shadows and how a shadow does not hurt you; it just alerts you…. (That would have been hard to convince me as a child who was spooked by shadows on the farm!) In other words, the shadow is not real. It is only means some form of matter is interfering with or obstructing the light.
Oh, and by the way… that object obstructing the light is often us! Could this be a useful metaphor for the soul’s journey? Our worried brains obscure the light of our soul, often creating shadows of fear that haunt our hearts.
When light encounters some sort of matter it will cease to travel in a straight line and will be reflected, absorbed, or scattered, creating various qualities of shadows. Some shadows will be diffuse and some are stark and dark. There are other variables of course. But Solomon kept it simple for SJ. Simply put- the shadow is only a shadow. An illusion of sorts.
So Solomon helped SJ learn shadows are not sinister and going to harm him. In fact SJ laughed when he realized he was afraid of his own shadow! He taught SJ that shadows can be fun to create, as kids who have made shadow finger puppets will tell you. Or they can be beautiful like self-silhouettes kids make for their parents.
Finally, Solomon also had a little talk with me and reminded me one of my favorite verses of scripture says:
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1)
Is it possible that the “secret place of the Most High” is within us? And could it be the “shadow of the Almighty” actually is a shelter for us … like a the shadow of a tree in the heat of the day … a place to rest protected ever save from harm? Of course this is beyond my understanding but maybe Solomon is right. No matter what … all is well in the “secret places of the Most High” (our soul) and because we are the sheep in the Shepherd’s pastures our hearts and souls can dance freely and peacefully.
Playing in the pastures and dancing with the shadows,
Margie
