Dear Patient and Faithful TSJ Fans and Readers,
Only kind thoughts have silently been sent out to all TSJ readers from Solomon and me. So after a long span of 
time when I have been publicly silent, I am actually excited to be writing again. And I am coming back with renewed passion for the theme of “shared journeys.”
Our TSJ wisdom whisperer, Solomon, has nudged me repeatedly to share with you some thoughts today.
More than ever, I am believing that we learn from one another and we need one another. We also can and must encourage each other. If we do not share what we know and experience, we cheat each other and ourselves out of opportunities to improve.
If we remain silent for whatever reason – be it self doubt, fear of looking foolish, feelings of inadequacy or even if we feel superior to others – we eventually become self-centered and blind to our divine purpose and the world of possibility. As Marianne Williamson often says, “God cannot do for us what God cannot do through us.”
God works through us from within us. That is how we learn and spread compassion, kindness, and mercy. So, just like the acorn becomes the oak tree, God has given each of us personal gifts, talents and resources. So what we do in this world is both an individual and a collective contribution.
What I forget at times, is that it it is not my business to compare what others have with what I have. In fact, it is immobilizing, like tripping over a pebble and falling flat on the pavement. Perhaps some of you can relate.
So I invite you to think about these questions:
Have you ever tripped and fallen unexpectedly? Perhaps you ended up breaking a bone or pulling a muscle that needed to heal before you resumed activities you once did easily?
~ OR ~
Have you have you ever stumbled and your body was basically okay but apparently a bit out of alignment and you needed a chiropractor?
I admit I have stumbled around a bit of late. Gotten out of alignment.
As I sit here writing to you today, I am looking at my little, rather bedraggled looking Christmas tree on a stand, with its soft colored lights casting a warm glow. I am reminded of that night three years ago, on December 15th, when Tom went home to the welcoming Love of God in the presence of its glow. It makes me reflect on the journey of life.
So much has happened since then. And I have learned more than ever that life brings with it times when you are given extra strength and times when we experience a forced rest.
And I have also learned that faith itself is a divine gift – especially when things do not make human sense or please us.
Meanwhile.. . I have gone through times of recalculating who I am and what is my purpose. At the same time, Mr. John has been going through the same process – though very differently – due to our natural inclinations. And we are blessed to have each other to learn from and share comfort and hope.
Even so, I still stumble. Old wounds surface. Self doubts rear their ugly heads.
Yes, I confess, the voice of “not good enough” has kept me from writing anything. I simply cannot write the way I want to. So I have written nothing. Such thinking is what shuts down sharing and blinds us or cuts off what is possible. We trip over own egos sometimes.
I know I am not alone. We all stumble and lose balance. But God does have a plan for each of us. We need each other precisely because we have different gifts to offer the world.
Recently John and I took what turned out to be a healing trip for me. We went to St. Louis to see his children/grandchildren and had a heart warming time. From there we went to Texas to see my son, Joe, and his family. Just being with them was very renewing.
Our final visit was to New Orleans to see a beloved friend of mine who moved there a few years ago. We enjoyed our time walking with her in Algiers, a beautiful, historic area.
Gradually I realized some of the cracks in my sense of self were being mended.
I remembered what I had forgotten. She and I have helped each other dream our dreams and climb our mountains. And now, as we walked the sidewalks in Algiers, I had to walk very carefully because they are uneven, made of old bricks and stones. I mentioned it to her and she told me this story.
One day when she was unusually unencumbered by a grandchild, groceries or pushing a stroller etc. she tripped, fell and broke bones in her left hand (fortunately she is right handed). Her hand was in pain and took time to heal. But it did not dampen her enthusiasm for doing things or for living there.
And such was true for our emotional journeys as well. Life can catch us unawares at times. Its paths are uneven.
But her story was a poignant reminder that while we never know what a day will bring, God still will work through us if we allow Him to work in us to be open to receiving and sharing Love.
May we also remember we each have a unique calling to make the world a kinder and more compassionate place. We do that best by sharing the journey.
For the rest of today – may we smile more often than we frown.
Solomon says “Go play in the fields of life and embrace who you are!”
Margie
