In the Shadows

Imagination has always been strong with me, so these Snoopies, arranged on my desk by one of my nephews, somehow reminded me of emperor penguins huddling together in the harsh conditions of Antarctica. These amazing birds are utterly reliant on each other for survival. They can't go it alone.  

This led me to thinking about the famous verse from Psalm 23 - "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me." It is commonly understood that it is God who is with us in dark times and this can provide comfort; however, the following, from an ancient Jewish text adds an extra layer of wisdom:

This is a person who sleeps in the shadow of a single palm tree, and in the shadow of the moon. But with regard to one who sleeps in the shadow of a single palm tree, we said he is in danger only if the shadow of another palm tree does not fall upon him. However, if the shadow of another palm tree falls upon him, we have no problem with it. *

This suggests that companionship makes darkness, perhaps spiritual, emotional or physical, less frightening. This rings true when it comes to actual blackouts, which have long been my nemesis. I am less perturbed by a lack of light if I have company, even of the canine variety. If there's an actual person present, then I am pretty calm.

When I lived in Samoa, 30 plus years ago, there were frequent nocturnal power outages due to tropical storms. Living in a house by myself, often the only human company of an evening came from listening to a CD of the Llanelli Male Voice Choir. (This didn't work in a 'lights out' scenario). How did I go? I would hide under a sheet, close my eyes and wait for the restoration of power or daybreak. Not much has changed in this department for me, except I don't live alone now.

Perhaps people need other people as much as penguins need each other. I imagine Jesus knew that when he said, "love your neighbour as you love yourself." Part of this is sharing the shadows, connecting with others in their blackouts.

* https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/psalm-23-who-walks-in-the-valley-of-the-shadow-of-death/?utm_source=MJL_Iterable&utm_campaign=MJL_Ketuvim&utm_medium=email

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