where a man can build his strength and freedom

Who is the real you?

A picture of five wooden Christmas reindeer with their shadows reflecting on a wall to reflect on the real you.

When we are flat out sick for a long time
(as I have been with covid since I last wrote to you)
we find ourselves with lots of time to think.

Our brain may not be working very well
but all kinds of questions 
still manage to emerge through the fog.
Some go straight to our core identity:
Who am I?
What am I actually trying to accomplish in my life?

Other questions, though less profound, 
still press for an answer:
What can I eat besides chicken soup?

As we lie there pondering the universe,
the sun rises 
and the sun sets.
Day after day 
after long long day.
We only hope we will be able 
to renew ourselves
and move forward on our life path
once we recover.

Assuming we do recover, that is.
That assumption got increasingly harder to make
after two weeks of incapacitation  
and zero improvement.
(O ye of little faith.)

Yes,
as James Taylor sings in Copperline,
getting sick is scary.
Outcome unknown.
When the tide finally turns
it feels holy.

Took a fall from a windy height
I only knew how to hold on tight
And pray for love enough to last all night
Down on Copperline
Day breaks and the boy wakes up
And the dog barks and the bird sings
And the sap rises and the angels sigh, yeah

This is where I am now.
The sap rose.
Lord, I am so grateful to be back.
And so eager to move forward again.

So, how are you?
Please see my post:  How are you? No, really how are you?

I hope you have not been languishing 
in the land of illness.
I hope instead you’ve been moving forward
in discovering who you really are
and what you want to accomplish in life.

That’s why I’m here–
to offer you insight and encouragement 
to strengthen you 
as you build a life of freedom and joy.

My goal is to see you become the real you.
Remarkable.  Unique.  Original.
The you that makes you proud.
The you that is not a shadow.

How to not be a shadow of yourself