Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

…the sun still rises…the birds still sing their sweetest of songs.. my chest still rises and falls with every breath…even as the dark emotional pain assaults and then shatters even my willingness to walk another step on the path called “life”…my insides wet with all the unshed tears that drown my soul…

Yet…the threads of fear, pain and heartbreak are threaded throughout the history of the world and connects us with the whole of humanity…

…A friend who was unable to be with her husband during his heart surgery and now works 16 hour days at a fire camp to support for wildland firefighters…an young and gifted Zimbabwean who lives in a sanctioned country trying to find a way out…another gifted young man who writes deeply thought-provoking philosophical essays and worries about the cost of the future…a retired couple walking into the unknown adventures of finding work in another country…

“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams” ~Edgar Allen Poe

Our humanness is so limiting…this era that we live in so often tries to foster self-reliance…believing that we are the masters of our own destinies…yet part of being a “mere mortal” means that we will not miss facing adversity…challenges and troubles…Life is so often rich with it’s deep and dark experiences…

There is a really deep well inside me. And in it dwells God. Sometimes I am there, too … And that is all we can manage these days and also all that really matters: that we safeguard that little piece of You, God, in ourselves. —Etty Hillesum, Westerbork transit camp

We live stitch by stitch in these uncertain times…often fixating on the whole tapestry…only see the knots and mishmash of threads…the stitching seems crude and often feels like it is completely unraveling…forgetting the Master Weaver sees the completed Masterpiece that He is creating…

My experiences have given me roots of strength in knowledge that I am strong and the my God is stronger…yet still…doubt sows its seeds in the fertile soil of my mind and burrows deep…the dread of the unknown blossoming like pernicious dandelions that stubbornly refused to be alleviated…endlessly looping…tenaciously intruding

The Grace of Endurance is the at Work of God in Our Lives…may I live to leave distinctive footprints of tenacity…bravery and fortitude for those that follow…

I find that along these paths of darkness there is always light waiting to be seen by our daunted hearts…

In this darkness there are moments of beauty in the most unexpected ways…take the joy you find in the day…carry them in your memories…the nights the fire sang in the depth of all it’s colors…enchanting and mesmerizing with it’s unchoreographed fiery dancing…finger’s intertwined in love…

“One word
Frees us of all the weight and pain of life:
That word is love.”
― Sophocles

Be kind to those you meet today…spread the light of love and care…for if not today…one day you will need that same light to shine for you❣

Much love for your journey…dusted with laughter and a little magic…xxx