Its like walking all day on flat ground and then you find out that the world is a sphere and you have been walking up hill not just today but your whole life. You are but a speck and we but a breeze in the hurricane of life. We are unable to separate from the storm yet once in a while we reach the eye of it all and there is a peace that seems displaced. It shouldn’t be here and neither should you but here you both sit in silence waiting for the other to talk. These are the most honest of conversations.
But tonight I feel so small like my body is here typing and the rest of me is staring down the horizon or walking with a friend who just so happens to be the giant from The Princess Bride. Now that I have sited the only Fred Savage movie I can remember let me continue. There is a kind of questioning that makes anybody dizzy and not sure of the next question. This is the storm that I am not sure I need to go through. There is a freedom energizing every person that has the capacity to walk around most storms but… some storms are worth the discomfort. The one coming through town tonight is marked by gale winds and frisby-size snow flakes. This is the kind of cold night that consumes like a fire every thought that seemed so clear and able to withstand the extremes. Only certain things can withstand the extremes and it is usually the precious and beautiful and ordinary loves that endure both flame and frost.
I guess I fear the extremes are where we must go to test our resolve. The other night I was coming from the library with my dad and we stopped at a store to pick up a shirt he was having taylored-or something like that. But I ran into a lady who had hand-drawn a picture of me from an article she read concerning my future travels on the Appalachian Trail. It had been years since she showed up to my open house and given me the picture, probably the most thoughtful gift I had every been given. I am reminded of the verses she hand wrote:
My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them,for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace. They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble. You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly. You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap. [proverbs 3.21-26]
