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THE SHADOW ON THE WATER
Jim Nelson - 2/08/09: When we are new in our lives, we run along the beach and splash in the water, laughing simply for the joy of it. The sun warms us. The sky is deep blue and unblemished by clouds. The tides come and go as they always have, obeying laws so powerful that we can do nothing but accept them.

Later, we walk the edge of the water. We pause and marvel at the gifts of the tides. We see clouds on the horizon, but they are far away and of no concern.
Still later, we sit in the sun and watch the young ones play, their parents walking hand in hand. We study the clouds, knowing. Finally, we recognize the movement, the approach of the darkness on the water. We feel a bit of discomfort as the breeze changes.

As the sun fades, there is a moment of fear, of loss, of despair for the warm days, the blue skies, but there is also something else. There is a knowing that the clouds must eventually come, that we must all eventually feel the loss, the chill.

Deep down, there is also a knowing that the clouds will pass, that the renewed sun on the water will be brighter and more spectacular than ever before.
And the tides come and go as they always have.