Sunflower

 Thought and soul soften

Still as a green pasture

As I think of you often

My golden aster

Bright as the sun

Intricate as a flower

The scent of the Son

The light of the hour

Peace is in your presence

Like a beacon you beckon

A haven in it's essence

You bid come well or broken

Whether wild in the wood

Or tame in the garden

Beautiful, true, and good

Submissive to the Warden

In the midst of many others

Your colour catches my eye

My sister and brother

As the pallet of a sunset sky

I pray to help the Gardener

To water and watch you grow

To lend a hand to endure

Plant a couple seeds to sow

I'm here to the end

A welcoming bower

Cherished friend

My sunflower

For two people who enrich and enhance my life more than they know.  May you always reflect a greater light.

On Fiction Part One: An Awakening

“We have come from God, and inevitably the myths woven by us, though they contain error, will also reflect a splintered fragment of the true light, the eternal truth that is with God.” -J.R.R. Tolkien

Day to day life is mundane.  It’s boring.  It’s the same thing day in, day out. 

How many people fall for this lie?  And how many people use stories as an escape from the boring life they’re living?  How many people will pick up The Chronicles or Narnia because they love Narnia and it’s so much more exciting than the real world?

This is nothing less than an abuse of stories.  Stories shouldn’t be crafted as an escape.  Stories should be used as an awakening. 

Our imaginations are a gift.  The making of stories is a gift.  But too often we forget that the world we live in was made by an imagination.  God in His infinite power and wisdom and imagination created the world we live in.  The trees are His handiwork.  Whatever lies at the bottom of the ocean is His handiwork.  We are His handiwork.  The grand scheme of history is His handiwork.  God is the Storyteller.  What we fail to realize as we listen to or read a story, is that the pictures we create in our mind are taken from the world we know and live in.  Whatever we imagine is ultimately being drawn from and impacted by the world we see around us.

So, the goal of a story shouldn’t be to provide an escape from the world we live in but to awaken the wonder of it.  What can be learned in the fictional realm can be applied in reality because the fundamental substances in fiction have already been invented in reality by the greatest Storyteller.  To write a story is to reflect the imagination of a God who wrote this world into being.  We think we’re creative beings.  Really, we’re just plagiarists taking what we see in an effort to make it our own.  It’s not ours.  It’s His.

So let the stories you read and write awaken you to look for the beautiful things around you.  Believe me, you won’t have to look very far.  “To be bored in this world, is to be boring.”-Gordon Wilson

Reading The Chronicles of Narnia shouldn’t cause me to crawl into my bedroom cupboard in search of a new world.  C. S. Lewis’ goal was not just to make a fantasy world.  It was to awaken the desire to see the magic and beauty and struggle in the world we’re in, to give hope that truth and goodness and beauty will prevail in the end, and to give courage to pursue these things in the life we’re living. 

This is the goal of a story told well.

Stained-Glass Epitaph

 

Strewn and shattered across the floor

Lies the broken aftermath

The desecrated image of a Savior

Beauty can be a dangerous path

If we forget who beauty is for

Nothing more than a stained-glass epitaph

A white-washed tomb with a rotten core

 

The divine should lift our gaze

But our eyes linger in the mirror

We raise our hands in praise

Make the object of our worship clear

“Look what I have made,” we say

As if fraud is to be cheered

As if beauty is ours to display

 

We unalign perfect symmetry

Claiming the line we draw is straight

We brag of infantile artistry

In the art that we create

We mess with natural chemistry

Saying the recipe’s out of date

And we ignore the lessons taught in history

 

Oh, when will we recognize

We’re playing God in a play we write

Wearing colorful costumes to disguise

That there’s no strength in our own might

See, all we’ve done is polarize

Ourselves from a greater light

But we refuse to change and continue to plagiarize

 

Tall buildings with pointy spires

Still will never touch the skies

Filled pews and harmonious choirs

Can’t hide that we’re telling lies

We’re living in our lusts and desires

While saying opposite of what our lives imply

We’re burning truth with unholy fire

 

Seeing how put together the priest is

We show up with good appearances

We’ve ironed out the creases

But inside we shake and fear instances

Where we might slip on the broken pieces

And reveal our drear resistances

For we’ve forgotten what true peace is

 

Life lacking the divine bears a vacancy

So the stained-glass window’s purpose

Lies not in its own beauty

But in a greater one to confess

And we laden with a similar duty

Are but a thin glow, to be not more but less

To reflect a light that few can see

On Loyalty

 

The Self-Centered Sea

My system of navigation is broken.  My compass is imperfect, often leading me in the wrong direction.  On the sea of friendships and family, my perspective is tainted.  My focus is flawed.  I view my relationships through a self-centered lens. 

            Viewing my loved ones in this light changes the way I act, the way I treat them, and the way I treat myself.  I am of primary importance.  What I want and need should be the number one on their list, just as it is on mine.

            I selfishly take and I selfishly give.  I take as if I’ve somehow earned my keep.  I give seeking a return, as if love and generosity are an investment in which the interest builds up over time.  I’ve heard it before, “Love isn’t a one-way road”.  I’ve believed it.  It’s one of the many things I’ve had a wrong view of.

            Let me correct that statement.  “Love shouldn’t be a one-way road.”  But sometimes it is.  That’s part of life and something I’ve been learning and I think a lot of people need to learn.  Sometimes you give and don’t get back.  Sometimes love is a one-sided affair.  Don’t believe me on this philosophy.  Let me argue my point for a second.

            Love took Jesus down a one-way road that led straight to a cross and a cup filled to the full with God’s wrath.    

            I’ve been thinking a lot lately.  About what drives me and motivates me towards love and good works.  Often those motives are impure.  But I’ve also been thinking about the things that I want to drive me.  About the man I want to be to the ones I love.  What characteristics I want to exhibit to show Christ’s love.  I’ve been thinking about one specifically.

            Loyalty.

            What is loyalty?

            We’ll go a little deeper than the typical definition of showing support for a person or institution.

            Loyalty is being there for someone no matter what.  No matter what.  That’s the tough part right there.

            (Sidenote: I’m in no way saying someone experiencing abuse or something of the like should stay in that relationship.  Simply saying that I think often relationships are given up on because they’re hard at that time.)

             I want to look at a couple of different examples of what loyalty can look like.  One from a fictional piece and one from the Bible.  This to show that loyalty doesn’t necessarily look the same from person to person, but that the fundamentals remain true despite different circumstances.

The Friend That Stays

I hear a lot about people leaving friendships because the other one was being toxic.  Let me tell you something.  Just because you’re being treated poorly or someone is exhibiting bad behavior is not necessarily an excuse to leave a friendship.  If as Christians our goal is to do what’s best for ourselves or what makes us feel good, then yeah, go for it.  But I pray I have the strength to remain by my friend’s side even when they’re at their worst.  I believe that is what loyalty is.  It’s not just about looking at a person as who they are in the moment.  But looking at the circumstances surrounding them.  Looking at who they have been and looking at the potential of who they could be. 

Loyalty does not mean excusing bad behavior.  It can certainly mean calling them out.  But it does not mean giving up on them even if they are consistently acting wrongly. 

            Love, in the biblical sense of the word, is sacrifice.  It is giving one’s self up for the betterment of others.  It is being inconvenienced, torn down, hurt, and broken, but resolving to continuing loving and encouraging despite what could easily hold you back.

            And maybe there are some relationships that need to be ended.  But just ask yourself if that is really the case or if you’re just giving up because it’s “too hard”.  Maybe you’re that bright spot this person needs to break out of the darkness they’re in.  Don’t say, “I’ve tried a thousand times and nothing changes.”  Who are you to say this won’t be the time you are used to bring a change?  Don’t take for granted the work that God can do and the fact that He wants to use us for it.

            Optimism is of utmost importance for this kind of loyalty.

            Take the example of Samwise Gamgee, a hobbit from The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  His optimism might be called foolhardy by some.  But this was one of his greatest strengths.  His ability to see beauty and goodness in the darkest of places.  And it aided him in his loyalty to Frodo. 

            He recognized the negative circumstances and influences contributing to the change in Frodo.  But he didn’t leave.  He stayed with him. 

            There is a song by Andrew Peterson called “To All the Poets”.  The chorus says:

And you keep on dreamin’

When all the dreams fade

When friends desert me

You’re the ones who stayed

To write the prayers when every prayer had been prayed

            This song struck me.  Brought tears to my eyes.  You’re the ones who stayed.  This has been often my prayer lately.  “God give me the strength and grace to love them even when it’s hard.  Even when it hurts.”

            Oh how I want to be the one that stays!

A Necessary Separation

But sometimes a separation is necessary for the benefit of the person you care for. 

Jonathan and David in the book of 1 Samuel are such an example.  Scripture says multiple times, from chapters 18-20, that “Jonathan loved David as his own soul”.  Jonathan proved this love and loyalty to be true in Chapter 20.  Saul desired to kill David.  So Jonathan and David hatched a plan. 

            “And Jonathan said to David, ‘Come, let us go out into the field.’ So both of them went out into the field.  Then Jonathan said to David: ‘The Lord God of Israel is witness! When I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you, may the Lord do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And the Lord be with you as He has been with my father. And you shall not only show me the kindness of the Lord while I still live, that I may not die; but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the Lord has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.’ So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David saying, ‘Let the Lord require it at the hand of David’s enemies.

            Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul. Then Jonathan said to David, ‘Tomorrow is the New Moon; and you will be missed because your seat will be empty. And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel. Then I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target; and there I will send a lad, saying ‘Go find the arrow.’ If I expressly say to the lad, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them and come’ --then, as the Lord lives, there is safety for you and no harm. But if I say thus to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you’ –go your way, for the Lord has sent you away. And as for the matter which you and I have spoken of, indeed the Lord be between you and me forever.” Verses 11-23

            Indeed, Saul intended harm for David and they were made to part ways.

            “As soon as the lad had gone, David arose from a place toward the south, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another; and they wept together, but David more so. Then Jonathan said to David, ‘Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘May the Lord be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.’’ So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.” Verses 41-42

            As far as we know, those two only saw each other once more before Jonathan died.  During the time Saul pursued David, Jonathan found David’s camp and this only to encourage David in the Lord (1 Samuel 23:16-18).  And loyal to his vow, after he was king, David showed kindness to Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9).

            Jonathan’s love and loyalty to David were completely unselfish.  And in this case, his loyalty meant separation was what was best for David.

            Perhaps this is the most difficult and painful part of loyalty; the recognition that sometimes you are not what is best for someone you love. 

Conclusion

If there is one characteristic I want to exhibit to the people I love, it is loyalty.  Through thick and thin.  Through the good and the bad.  When they’re at their best and when they’re at their worst.

            And here’s some encouragement.  I’ve seen it firsthand.  All of the hardship you might endure for being loyal to someone, even when it’s hard, is totally worthwhile.  Loyalty can be trying but when you see them breakthrough…it’s beautiful.

            Loyalty is an exhausting experiment in unconditional love.  In a nutshell, loyalty is the ability to see what’s best for someone and doing your best to steer them towards it.  All in all, loyalty is knowing when to say yes and when to say no.  It is offering yourself to someone entirely.  It is being there for what they need no matter what. 

            No matter what.

Unity is a City

             Unity.  A fundamental idea in Christianity.  Easy enough to understand I think, and yet, not so easy to implement.  But this concept is worth every effort to pursue and perfect.  Unity is one of the most important tools to witness to a lost world.

            “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”  (John 17:20-21)

            Our oneness with Christ and one another is used to show the world that the Father sent Jesus.  Our unity is used to show that Jesus is God.  Our unity and love are a light in a dark place.  A training ground for loving a lost world.

            “You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14)

            The church is a city on a hill.  A city is not made for one man.  A city cannot be built by one man.  We are only workers for the Grand Architect.  And our life’s mission is to build a city according to His design.

            The book of Nehemiah gives an autobiographical account of Nehemiah and his effort to rebuild the wall of the city of Jerusalem.  Chapter three is simple.  Its only aim is to list the names of those who repaired the wall and which section they repaired.  The reparation was not completed by one man.  A large group of people contributed to the completion.  Each built a different part.  But their goal was the same.  They were all there to build the wall.  They had unity.

            In chapter four they are faced with the threat of battle.  Nehemiah sets up protective measures.  He arms some of the workers and sets them on watch duty.  He prepares for battle.  And here’s where it gets interesting.  Nehemiah says, “The Lord will fight for us.”

            Nehemiah had faith that God was on their side and would fight for them.  And yet he still equipped his men with weaponry and prepared for battle.  Trust in God does not mean an idle sitting on of one’s hands while we wait for God to go to work.  There is a preparing of oneself and a readiness for upcoming battles even as we trust in God to be with us and to fight for us.

            What a strange and wonderful mystery that God doesn’t need us and yet wants to use us to build His kingdom.  This is a beautiful thing, but also a responsibility we cannot take lightly.  Unity takes work.  A lot of work.

I will say it again, one man cannot build a city.  But we get distracted far too easily and begin building our own kingdoms.  Often, we try to “serve” God while pushing our own agenda.

            “Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)

            We need to make sure the kingdom we are trying to build is not of our making.  We need to make sure the blueprint we are following is the Grand Architect’s.  And then we need to be prepared to battle and build.  And build.  And build.

Unity is a city.  A city on a hill.  Designed by God and built through us.

          Let’s get to work.

Holding On and Letting Go

              Change is inevitable.  But the knowledge of inevitability doesn’t make it any easier.  Often the prospect of change looms above like a dark cloud as I stand below, fearful of the coming downpour. 

            Whenever I begin to sense a shift in my life, my idols seem to rise to the surface.  And those idols are usually people.  I place heavy expectations on those I love, afraid that I might lose them in the ever-flowing river of life.  Afraid the relationships I’ve formed are just a product of shared time and space.  Afraid they won’t last. 

            So, I squeeze my hands shut.  No one can leave if I hold on tight enough.  Right? 

            The process of becoming the man I want to be is tough.  Being what those I love need doesn’t always mean I get what I want.  Sometimes it means loosening the grip.  Sometimes it means letting go altogether.  And it hurts.  Sometimes more than I care to admit.  Sometimes more than I show.  Everything inside of me cries out for permanence. 

            The relationships I pour into, I pour so much of myself into, sometimes until I wear myself right out.  And maybe that’s why it’s so hard when those relationships fade.  I don’t think I ever truly get over a lost friendship.  Because I put so much work into my friendships and I invest so much time and effort, when it’s gone, it takes a little piece with me.

            But it’s not about me.  A tough lesson to learn.  

An even tougher one is: it’s not even just about them.  This life isn’t just about the ones I love.      

            There’s a greater relationship.  There’s a greater purpose.  All other relationships and purposes in my life need to flow from this one central location.  Of course, I’m talking about God.  Without Him everything is meaningless.  I forget this so easily but He is always faithful to remind me.

            There’s a saying, “If you love them, let them go.”

But the question isn’t so much; “Do you love them enough to be willing to let them go?” but “Do you love Me enough to be willing to let them go?  Am I enough for you?”

Everything inside of me cries for permanence.  And permanence is only found in One.  Only One is sufficient to meet everything I need.

The irony in loving people more than God is that you love them less.  When God is your first love, you are freed to love them in a capacity otherwise impossible.

And this is the goal.

Past, present, and future friends, I pray that I have loved and will love God far more than you, granting me the ability to love you so much more than I am capable of.

On Greetings

              It was a Friday night.  I was at the church just before youth group started.  My energy levels were running a little low and I was preparing myself in the office as the youth arrived.  One of the youth, a very good friend of mine, saw me and came over just to say hello.

            Sounds pretty normal.  That’s what you do when you see someone.  You say hello.  Only this greeting was unlike and far superior to any other I had ever received and have since received. 

            I confess I don’t remember most of the contents of the greeting.  There was a compliment or two.  But it wasn’t just the words that made it so beautiful.  It was the excitement she had.  The energy she put into the greeting.  I could see so clearly she was genuinely happy to see me.

            My energy levels were instantaneously replenished.  My spirits were lifted.  All because of one greeting.

            I still think about it from time to time.  And then I wonder to myself, why is something like that so uncommon?  What would happen if I stopped worrying so much about what people might think of me and showed excitement when I saw someone I cared about?

            Do we live in a culture that is afraid to show genuine affection for one another?  To display excitement when we see someone we love?  Worse yet, are we allowing the external circumstances of the world to dictate our internal love for one another?  Are we losing the love we used to have?

             The world will know we are His by our love for one another.  How are they going to see our love if there is no external expression of the internal affection we have for one another? How are they going to see that if there isn’t even any internal affection? 

            Something as simple as a greeting can change the course of an entire day.  Don’t be afraid to show genuine affection to the ones you love.

We share God’s DNA.  We share in Christ’s blood.  We share in the same Spirit and in the same salvation.  We are knitted together by an eternal bond.  A bond that goes far deeper than any disagreement or political differences.  May the world see that through the way we treat and greet one another.

When a Father Makes Time for His Children

          I stood in the backyard.  The sun was shining with one of those heartwarming glows.  The sky was mostly clear.  The evening was still but for the shrill cries of children laughing.

Two of my brothers were playing with their children.  A primitive form of tag.  My nephews and niece’s childish minds could not fully comprehend the rules of the game.  But that didn’t matter to them.  They got to run and reach out to tag their dads. 

A smile involuntarily stretched across my face as I watched.  There are some moments in life where I don’t want to step in but just stand back to watch.  To witness the beauty in the moment.

My opinion of my nephews and niece didn’t change.  I love them but they were not what made this moment hit so hard.  So, what was it that caused this memory to linger in my mind, striking emotion in my chest and eyes?

It’s a beautiful thing to watch a dad take time to be with his children.  Watching them play such a rudimentary form of tag far beneath their level of intelligence.  And yet they love it because they love their children.  They love watching them laugh.  They love spending time with them.

So often I make the time I spend with God about me.  I’ll check the clock.  Sit down spend a bit of time reading my Bible and spend a bit of time praying.  Check the time again.  On a good day I’ve spent an hour, maybe a little more.  I think I’ve done pretty good.

But this moment watching my brothers spend time with their kids has flipped spending time with God upside down.

I make the time to spend with God (saying now I don’t think it’s wrong to set aside time to spend with God and in fact think it is very healthy and important).  But the Creator of the universe, our heavenly Father, makes time to spend with me.  (Also literally makes time.  Think about that for a second.)

The moment I witnessed between my brothers and their kids was beautiful because two dads took time to spend with their kids.  The kids responded with love and affection. 

It’s the same with God, I think.  What is far more amazing than me spending time with Him, is God spending time with me.  A broken, wretched man like me and somehow God wants to spend time with me.  If that is not good motivation to set aside time for Him, I don’t know what is.

I can almost guarantee if you ignore a toddler consistently, you’re not going to be the person they’re excited to spend time with.  But when you set aside the time to be with him, the results are beautiful.

Knowing that God longs to spend time with us should fill us with such love and affection for Him that we long to do the same.  And we can any place, any time.  What a great, loving Father we have!

Talk Less. Smile More.

            I think I talk too much.  I think I’m too sarcastic.

            I’m not always quick-witted, but I can be at times.  At times too quick-witted.

            Words escape my mouth before I think them through.  That’s probably not the best habit to get into.  I find myself regretting things I say more often than I used to.

            “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.  Pure and undefiled religion is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”  James 1:26-27

            Strong words.  I like to use these verses in an argument against the way most Christians use social media.  But I’ve been finding them an equally convicting and a useful reminder for myself.

            As Aaron Burr says, “Talk less.  Smile more.  Don’t let them know what you’re against or what you’re for.”

            Okay, I only agree with the first two lines of those lyrics.  I think that talking less and smiling more can be a good rule of thumb for someone like me.  However, I never want to hide what I’m against and what I’m for.

            “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth.  Keep watch over the door of my lips.”  Psalm 143:3.

            What a wonderful prayer.  A reminder that we can bring all things to God, including the way we speak.

            I’m trying to get away from insulting others.  Even the fake insults.  The ones when I’m just joking around.  It’s a hard habit to get out of.  I grew up doing it and have done it for most of my life.

“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.” Mathew 15:18.

            Those words from Christ.

Words are powerful.  As a Christian, I want the words that leave my lips to be words of truth.  Words that build up and not break down.  I hate it when something I’ve said has hurt someone.  Or the times where I get frustrated and that comes out in the tone I speak in.

            I want to spur others in my life towards Christ.  And I think one of the ways to do that is by the way that I talk to them, the way that I listen to them, and the way that I encourage them.

            So, in conclusion, I’ll quote Aaron Burr again.

            “Talk less.  Smile more.” 

            I pray the Spirit leads me in times I need to talk and in the times I need to listen.  May I have an ever-growing awareness of those around me and of God, so that I shall speak rightly and listen graciously.  Amen.

           

Indescribable

 

            I always hate it when I feel something, something that I want to describe but just can’t come up with the words.  There’s an irony in saying you can’t find the words to describe something, as in doing so you’re describing the very thing which you have said you cannot describe (this was a fun sentence).

  It’s indescribable.

            But I’m rambling because I’m trying to figure out what to say.  It’s not that I don’t know what I want to say so much as I don’t know how to.

            I want to talk about relationships.  Family and friends.  Past and present.

            But mostly present.  Those people that are continuously feeding into my life in ways they probably don’t know.  This is a shout out to you. 

            I hope you know who you are.  If you don’t, then that’s on me.  I haven’t made obvious the same love that you have lavished upon me.

            Sometimes I can get caught up in my own head.  Sometimes I create narratives in my mind that have negative effects on the way I treat people.  Sometimes I doubt your love for me.  And sometimes I just need to stop and remind myself of the blessing of you.

            This is, in part, one of those reminders.

            I don’t know if anyone else has experienced such a feeling of love in their hearts that you can feel it physically.  Like a weight in your chest.  A love that can bring tears to the eyes and hope to the soul.  I want to have that feeling more and more.  And I’ve been finding as I pursue a relationship with Christ that it has become more common.  It’s not so easy to twist love for your own devices when you’re in communion with Love itself.

            That kind of love is indescribable.  

            The love that I have for you isn’t even a sliver of a sliver in comparison to the love that God has for me and for you.  I forget that far too often.  I more easily remember His love for me, but I think that I can lose sight of the fact that His love for the ones I love is far greater than my own.  He loves them in a way I will never be able to.

            Maybe I don't know what I'm trying to say after all.  The only thing that I can really think of is; I love you more than words can contain.  I could exhaust my entire vocabulary in an attempt to let you know what you mean to me.  I wouldn't come remotely close.  And yet that isn’t even a glimpse of the love that God loves you with.

            I’ll just leave you here with the chorus from a song called “Loving My Jesus” by Casting Crowns.  This is where my heart has been at lately and continues to grow in.

Loving my Jesus

Showing my scars

Telling my story of how mercy

Can meet You where You are

And I pray the whole world hears

The cry of my heart

Is to see all the ones I love

Loving my Jesus

Joseph and Sinclaire: The River Crossing

            This is a story about the start of an unlikely friendship.

            Joseph was a centaur.

            Sinclaire was a faun.

            You see, fauns and centaurs don’t normally get along.  Centaurs are known for their wisdom and stoic personality.  Fauns are known for their lightheartedness and joviality.

            They shared a personality trait though.

            Stubbornness.

            Both races were stubborn as could be and it was no different for Joseph and Sinclaire.

            They first met at a river crossing just as one might expect in a story such as this.  The bridge was of course only large enough for one person to cross at a time.  Both reached the middle of the bridge at the same time. 

            “Turn around little faun,” commanded Joseph.

            “I shan’t,” responded Sinclaire.

            “I’m further.”

            “And yet you aren’t because your oversized rump stretches much further back than I am.”

            “Move or I shall toss you into the river, little faun.”

            “I shall not move.”

            “Insignificant creatures should move for superior races.”

            “If I were to move that would be feeding your ego’s obesity.  You should be leading by example, you great big oaf.”

            “I can’t lead by example if there isn’t anyone superior to move for.”

            “You great villain!”

            “What shall you do, little faun?  Stamp your little hooved feet?  Your blows would be nothing but a tickle to my muscular frame.”

            “Then I have nothing to do but break your spirit.”

            This argument continued for quite a long time.  Neither gave in to the other and they soon found the sun to be setting and it seemed as if neither would make it to his destination any time soon.

            “Are those four twigs of yours getting tired yet?”

            “If you don’t move little faun, I shall move you,” warned Joseph.

            “I do not think you could move a single flea from your flea infested hair.”

            In that moment Sinclaire knew he had gone too far.  Joseph’s hair was his greatest pride.

            “Not a single flea or fly has lingered in my locks since I was a wee centaur,” huffed Joseph.

            And without another word, Joseph pushed poor Sinclaire into the frothy river.  Sinclaire’s small frame sank below the surface before bobbing up a few feet away. 

            “Help!” he cried, “Help!  For I cannot swim.”

            The noble creature that he was, Joseph forgot their petty argument and leapt into the water to rescue the faun.  His muscular frame soon reached the faun and his arms caught him up.  Joseph fought against the current and he reached the embankment and dragged both himself and Sinclaire up out of the river.

            The two, lay side by side on the embankment panting for breath.  Sinclaire stood up and laughed long and hard.  Joseph stared at him confused and annoyed.

            “What is it, you foolish creature?” asked Joseph.

            “It is not I who is the fool,” grinned Sinclaire.  “For I can indeed swim.  I have just used that as an excuse to reach my destination.  You see, you have carried me to the side of the bridge I was seeking in the first place.” 

            Sinclaire doubled over with laughter.

            “You, impudent faun!” said Joseph standing up.

            It was a long chase that took place but eventually Sinclaire’s fear outran Joseph’s red-hot rage.

The Cloud Dwellers

“I’m tired of trying to fix things,” Eric screamed into the sky.  “This planet is too broken.  Just let me go somewhere with no troubles and no pain.”

            Eric fell to his knees in anguish.  The wet grass soon soaked the knees of his jeans, causing them to cling uncomfortably to his skin.  He felt a soft touch on his shoulder and looked up to see a kindly old man standing beside him.

            “I know the place you’re looking for, my friend,” the man said.  His voice was gentle and easy-listening.  “All you have to do is come with me.”

            The man’s hand slid off his shoulder and in front of Eric, open in a gesture of welcome.  Not really sure why, Eric took that hand.  The man helped him to his feet and then motioned for Eric to follow him.

            “What’s your name?” Eric asked as he continued to follow the man deeper into the field in which Eric had been.

            “You can call me Carefree,” the man said with a smile.

            “What kind of name is that?” Eric asked before he realized what he was saying.

            “It’s my new name and my description, Eric.”

            “Wait how do you know my name.”

            “I’ve been watching.  Watching…and waiting.”

            “Waiting for what?”

            “For you to fully realize that you would want to come with me.”

            “I’m still confused.”

            “Don’t worry, Eric.  All will be explained soon.”

            Eric fell silent as he wandered after Carefree, not really sure why he was still following this stranger.

            They reached near the edge of the field and that is where Carefree stopped.

            “What are we doing?” asked Eric.

            Carefree turned and smiled at Eric and beckoned for him to come closer.  Eric hesitated but his curiosity got the better of him and he stepped closer.  Carefree took his hand and pulled it forwards.  Suddenly Eric’s hand touched something that shouldn’t have been there.  That wasn’t there.  It was invisible. 

            Eric took a step back.  “What is that?” he asked nervously. 

            “That my friend,” said Carefree, “is the way to the Cloud Realm.”

            “What is the Cloud Realm?”

            “It is a place of wonder and excitement with no problems and no worries.  It is beautiful and you will love it.  All you have to do is climb the ladder.”

            Eric stood with his hand on the invisible ladder.

            “Why do you hesitate, Eric?” Carefree asked gently.

            “Um, what’s it like?” said Eric.

            “It’s best that you see it with your own eyes.”

            Carefree put his hand beside Eric’s upon the ladder.  The ladder phased into sight, shimmering with many colors.  Carefree began climbing.

            “Wait,” said Eric, “but I haven’t decided yet.”

            “I cannot make this decision for you, Eric,” said Carefree pausing his ascent.  “I can only advise you to take this opportunity.”

            Eric took a deep breath and put his foot on the first rung and then his other foot on the second. 

            “Good man,” laughed Carefree.

            Eric was beginning to see why this man was called Carefree for he truly seemed to be.  It took a long while to climb the ladder.  The air didn’t seem to grow thinner as Eric expected even as their height grew very great. 

            The ground below faded into a blur as they continued their climb and then finally, they reached the top.  Eric pushed through a thick cloud and that is where the ladder ended.  Right on top of the fluffiest cloud you could imagine. 

            Carefree stood a few paces away, waiting for Eric.  Eric was clinging desperately to the ladder. 

            “Come, Eric,” Carefree said, “step off the ladder.”

            Eric shook his head.

            “I’ll fall,” he said.

            “You will not fall.  I'm not falling, am I?”

            Carefree walked over to Eric and held out his hand.

            “Take my hand, Eric.”

            A couple more minutes passed as Eric wavered but eventually, he took Carefree’s hand and stepped out onto the cloud.  Just as Carefree said, Eric did not fall through the cloud but stood atop it. 

            Carefree laughed as he let go of Eric’s hand who instantly grasped his shoulder instead. 

            “Follow me,” said Carefree taking off into a light jog.

            Eric was beginning to get used to the fact that he was standing on a cloud and ran after Carefree.  After a couple hundred of feet, Carefree and Eric ran into someone else.

            “Who’s this, Carefree?” asked the man who had long blonde hair and an equally long beard.

            “This is Eric,” answered Carefree.  “Our newest townsperson if he chooses to accept.”

            “I am Fulfilled,” said the man with blonde hair.

            Eric held out his hand but Fulfilled ignored it and swept him up into a giant hug.

            “Welcome here, brother,” he said as he let go.  “If you stay, we shall have to find you a better name.”

            Carefree continued on, closely followed by Eric who was having a hard time taking everything in.  A few minutes more of walking and they reached a wall of cloud that rose twenty feet into the air.

            “What now?” asked Eric as they stood at the base of the wall.

            “Only one who truly wants to live here can walk through this cloud,” said Carefree.  He smiled at Eric.  “Why don’t you give it a try.”

            Eric was still trying to comprehend all the absurdity that he was dealing with but this wasn’t really any crazier than the other things he had done so far.  So, with a deep breath and a shake of his head, Eric decided to take this at full speed.  He backed up twenty feet or so and then he pushed off.  In a few bounds he was running in a full out sprint.  The wall rapidly approached.  He brought his arms up to protect his head and…he hit the wall bouncing off and landing a few feet backwards. 

            Carefree laughed as he helped Eric to his feet.

            “Nothing to worry about,” Carefree said.  “Very few make it through on the first try.  It’s part of human nature to question and want to know more before delving in completely.”

            Carefree stepped through the wall.  After a moment his hand popped through the wall and motioned for Eric to grab it.  Eric did so and the hand yanked him forward and he was through the wall.

            Inside it was just like a town, only everything was made of clouds and everyone was friendly.  There was not a grim expression in sight.  Not a stressed being racing to their next problem.  Everyone seemed…happy.  Just plain happy.              “Welcome to Perfection,” said Carefree his arm waving in a large arcing motion.  “Our home.”

            “It looks…”

            “Perfect,” said Carefree, finishing Eric’s thought.  “Come.”

            Eric was greeted by a great many people, all seemingly blissfully happy.  Eventually the two of them made it through the crowd of people and Carefree led Eric into a small dwelling empty but for a cloud bed in one corner.

            “This must be quite the shock for you, Eric,” said Carefree.  “I would suggest getting some rest.  I will show you around tomorrow and then you can make your decision whether or not you want to stay.  I truly hope you decide to.”

            Carefree left leaving Eric to his thoughts.  It had been a truly overwhelming couple of hours.  He took Carefree’s advise and decided to wait until morning to make his decision.  His head was too full trying to comprehend what was going on to make any lifechanging choices.

            The next day was spent touring the town which was much more extensive than Eric had originally thought.  The buildings were architecturally amazing due to one of the Cloud Dwellers having been an architect before he came to live in the clouds. 

            This place was truly breathtaking and as the day progressed, Eric found himself longing to live there. 

            Time flew by quickly and evening was soon upon them.  Darkness fell and Eric was greeted with a magnificent sky, filled with bright stars and dancing Northern Lights.  It was this that tipped him over the edge. 

            The Cloud Dwellers were all gathered together as they were every evening, enjoying each others company.  Eric stood up and everyone’s gaze turned upon him.

            “Um,” said Eric nervously, “I think I’ve made my decision.”

            “You think?” said Carefree gently, “It is best to be sure.”

            Eric thought for a moment.

            “Yes,” he said, “I have made my decision.  I have decided…to stay.”

            The Cloud Dwellers erupted into cheers and whoops.  They rushed around Eric shaking his hand and pounding his back.

            “Alright, alright,” yelled Carefree over the noise.  “Let’s not make our newest Cloud Dweller change his mind.”

            The others laughed but the crowd quickly dispersed.  Eric was a little flustered but pleased at the reception. 

            “What’s his name going to be, Carefree?” said someone from the crowd.

            Carefree closed his eyes and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.  Everyone waited with baited breath.

            “His name shall be…Atpeace.”

            A few minutes passed as Eric pondered his new name.

            “I think that is a good name,” said Eric.  “Because I think I shall find peace here.”

            Another round of cheers and whoops echoed across the sky.

           

            A couple of blissful weeks had passed.  Two wonderful weeks of peace, without any troubles, sorrows, and problems.  Atpeace knew more than ever why this town was called Perfection.  Life seemed completely…perfect.  There was simply no other word for it.

            Then he woke up one morning.  Something felt wrong.  He found himself missing his old life problems and all.

            “I can’t help but notice you’ve been a little down in the dumps of late,” said Carefree one day.  “What’s the cause of that?”

            “I think I’m going to leave,” said Eric.

            Carefree didn’t seem surprised.

            “Many before you have said the same thing,” said Carefree.  “Not many have actually left.  They all come to their senses.”

            “I miss my old life.”

            “What you’re feeling is guilt that you are living the perfect life where they aren’t.”

            “That isn’t it.  I think I want to go home.”

            “No, you don’t, Atpeace.  Give it time you’ll feel better in a couple of days.”

            Eric fell silent.

            “Have I ever, mislead you, Atpeace?” asked Carefree.

            “My name is Eric.”

            A long silence followed.

            “Have I ever, mislead you…Eric?”  For the first time Eric heard a different tone in Carefree’s voice.  A slight strain behind the smooth speech.

            Eric turned and faced Carefree, looking him dead in the eyes.

            “I think you have been misleading this entire time,” said Eric quietly.

            “How dare you,” spat Carefree.  His countenance had changed, his eyebrows arched downwards in angry glare.  “I offered you the perfect life.  A life without troubles and pain.”

            “No, what you offered me was a way to hide.  A way to ignore life’s problems.  I was just too weak to see that.  To see that everyone here is just a coward.  You aren’t living the “perfect” life.  You’re hiding from life.”

            Carefree’s eyes were wide with wild anger. 

            “If you want to leave,” said Carefree trying to contain his rage, “I cannot stop you.  Just know that you will not have the opportunity to live here again and you will live your life regretting this decision.”

            “I don’t think my life with be the one filled with regret,” said Eric evenly.  “I think deep down inside you know that I’m right.”

            “Get out,” said Carefree. 

            Eric turned and walked away but stopped after a few paces.  He turned and looked at Carefree one last time.

            “I sincerely hope you come to your senses and give life another chance.  What you have here isn’t really living.  Living is taking the good with the bad.  Without the bad we forget about the good.  I realize that now.”

            Eric left without looking back.

           

            Eric’s climb down was long.  It probably felt longer than it was.  His anticipation grew the entire length of the ladder.  Finally, his feet hit the ground.  He smiled.

            “Eric, you expect me to let you have your job back?  You didn’t show up to work for two and a half weeks.”

            “I know, sir,” said Eric. 

            “I don’t think this is going to work.”

            “Okay.”

            Eric pushed his chair back and walked to the office door.  His hand grasped the handle.

            “Wait.”

            Eric turned around. 

            “What made you come back?”

            Eric thought for a moment.

            “I sort of gave up on life.  I didn’t want to deal with its problems anymore.  So, I left and went somewhere where I could hide from them.”

            “But what made you come back?”

            “I met someone with his head in the clouds and after awhile, I realized that I didn’t want to live like that.”