A pair of

bright yellow shoes

stood there in the window…

staring and daring me

to step into their Sunny-side of life!.

Oh…

How they spoke to my inner most core;

but, there was one problem …

They were

NOT

on Sale!

I pined over them

and decided to bite

the shotgun sized bullet

and invest in some visual reminders

of colored

JOY!

I mean ….

Come on…

Yellow!

They were literally begging me

to step into their Happy soles!

These have now come to be known as

my ‘Yellow Brick Road’ shoes…

They take me places

where I have always dreamed….

places that have me WAY out of my comfort zone

and undoubtably weave me into arenas

where the makings of my being

are awakened and fueled…

to LEAP into a land

where fear becomes wiped CLEAN from the brain

and Courage takes on a new Heart

with a GOLDEN plan.

I wear them deliberately now

when I see an opportunity to skip into

oddly shaped paths of possibilities.

Recently,

an invitation was sent

to attend my 35th year reunion …

some 1173 miles away.

I haven’t seen some of these delightful friends in 36 years!

The shy girl inside…

instantly said

“No Way!”

but the dreamer within…

said..

“Girl… Go get those yellow shoes!

You are about to recover some golden moments.”

And sure enough..

The gold began threading its way

into my heart

when met at the airport by

my boarding school friend Tracy.

We unpacked and she immediately

took me on one of her many daily walks

near her neighborhood

        around the Potomac River…       

We stopped by a bench overlooking the water where she pointed…

“This spot is where my mom is replacing this bench

in memory of my son…

Deacon.

He used to come here often to enjoy this very view”

Sweet Tracy lost her son just before our reunion

and she has handled it with such grace.

She appears to have chosen to lean in…

to the mountain of grief

with eyes and heart wide open

to uncover

what is in store for her during

this new season of her life.

Her journey

and our walk

on this trail…

inspired this very painting.

It is the view from Deacon’s bench.

The bench that

has endured so many seasons…

and is now being redeemed

with a brand new one

dedicated to his quiet brilliance while on this earth..

The symbolism cannot be missed…

What a magnificent place to sit

and ponder how precious life is…

and how our earthly vessels

will be made new.

It can’t possibly replace this cherished child’s presence…

but it certainly draws you into a PAUSE…

realizing he is now in a home of wonder and light…

I was attracted to this view from the bench…

because of

“the turn in the path”

subtly hinting

that although

we do not see what’s around life’s corners…

we must stay focused on our current view…

having FAITH to stay the course…

no matter what’s around the bend.

It can be so difficult to stop the predicting game

of what’s to come;

instead of

embracing 

“the here and now”

that ushers in

the drumbeat

of a purposeful pulse

within our heart’s cadence.

I found it curious…

that the trail…

was noticeably yellow…

Leading us back into the Land of Oz…

onto the path

of the “Yellow Brick Road”…

and unconsciously searching

for the things always hoped for.

It made me think of Dorothy’s words…

“A place where there isn’t any trouble.

Do you suppose there is such a place Toto?

There must be.

It’s not a place you can get to by a boat or a train.

It’s far, far away.

Behind the moon, beyond the rain.”

I do sense there is a place like this…

that comforts hurting hearts

and wilted hopes…

A birthplace that brings us back to our simplest ways…

where we become a child again…

Enjoying the moments…

“as IS”

and

not was

and gonna be’s.

How can we possibly know

why things happen…

Life is truly a puzzle…

and sometimes we get a few pieces

to plug into that game…

 

and who knows why and how

we ended up reconnecting after all of these years…

But I knew coming away…

that Tracy

needed that special spot painted…

so she could see it in her home as well…

to remind her

that her “Lemon Drop” troubles

are seen and heard and held

Passionately

by the One

who catches her every tear.

May the bend in our roads

bring beauty into the present moment

with whomever you are with

and wherever you are at the time.

I pray JOY in the steps

that color your pathway

YELLOW

despite the circumstance…

May your Journey be so Bright…

it is a beacon

to those who are lacking light

in their current season.

And may you be a

“Deacon”…

to many…

and minister to those around…

just how uniquely made you are.

You are Loved…

You are Treasured…

And you are Adored!

I love you Tracy!

And thank you for sharing your life with me!

There were a few curious happenings while visiting

and beautiful discoveries

that I feel should be shared as well…

* Their family pet, Hugo…

looked just like Toto!

* There was a twister in this area

which rarely happens.

* My plane was delayed for 3 days..

and it became a joke to put on

the Yellow Brick Road shoes

with their Toto in hand

and click my heals saying…

“There’s no place like home”.

*The name Deacon means…

“to minister, to serve”

*Beacon means…

“a lighthouse or other signal for guidance,

a source of light or inspiration”

-Merriam Webster

*The great street of the city was of gold,

-Revelations 21:21

*You keep track of all my sorrows.
    You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
    You have recorded each one in your book.

-Psalms 56:8

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