The poem “Broken,” composed by my friend Joe Thomas, answered a question that has lingered with me a long while…
How does one survive a visit to the Valley of the Shadow of Death?
In the poem, Joe provides an answer:
Broken,
Broken,
So many many times. Crushed by brutal family memories.
Last year I wrote a post on a difficult topic — a very difficult topic. I’m reprising it here:
Several years ago a friend of mine, someone I’d known since childhood, committed suicide.
He left no note, no explanation, not a word to anyone. He was a guy who appeared to have everything: beloved wife, secure job, faithful dog and a library of books he loved. He was also a private person, shared little of himself, traveled alone, and was subject to mood swings.
But never in my wildest imagination had I thought him capable of taking his own life. Sadly, he was one visitor to travel into the Valley of the Shadow of Death who never returned.
The thing about the Valley of the Shadow of Death — it’s a place we can easily stumble into, and without help, we can become frightfully lost.
As the writer George Sand observes, “We cannot tear out a single page of our life, but we can throw the whole book into the fire.”
On my ride home from the funeral I thought about the times I’d been in the Valley of the Shadow of Death and what had gotten me through — alive.
One tumble in particular stands out.
In 1991, while I was working in San Francisco, a darkness set upon me. I could find no purpose in my life and nothing that anchored me to the world around me.
I wandered down to the Golden Gate Park and stared up at the bridge.
It was then I remembered I’d made a pact with Joe Thomas, a buddy of mine.
Call it our “Psalm 23 Pact.”
When either one of us ever found ourselves in the valley alone we promised to call the other. Whoever got the call promised they’d come immediately and we’d walk together. This pact saved my life.
I called my friend Joe Thomas.
He dropped everything he was doing and came out to walk with me. It turned out to be a month-long trek where I learned to drink from the streams of the valley and eat the manna from Heaven.
What I learned is for some treks in the valley, the only way to survive is with someone on whose staff and rod you can rely and in whose company you can take comfort.
The Koran says, “For every soul there is a guardian watching it.”
A recent report from the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General found loneliness and isolation has reached epidemic proportions. The effect on our overall mental health is grave; addiction and suicide rates are skyrocketing.
The report carries an ominous tone of urgency. It states the antidote to this crisis lays in rebuilding our fundamental connections to other people.
Writ simple: We need to find our own Pillow of Mercy.
And we need to become a Pillow of Mercy for others.
Where the divine presence of God flows through us and we become conduits of grace.
Where we pull others from the dark abyss as we ourselves have been lifted.
Just a thought…
Pat
Today’s music for the ages is Love’s Theme, by Barry White, selected by Joe Thomas.
Just a thought…
Pat