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Shadows

 Daddy, it's following me. It won't go away!" said the
Young child.

"It's not supposed to. It's your shadow," her father said
As he tried desperately not to laugh.

This was serious stuff for a young girl. Oh, she most likely
Has seen it a thousand times already, but today it bothered
Her. It was there and she didn't want it to be.

I sat on the bench nearby as I watched her running all over
The place trying desperately to get away from it. At one point
She went behind a tree. She was small enough that the tree's
Shadow consumed hers.

"It's gone, Daddy. The tree ate it!" she said. We both started laughing.

Suddenly the sun went behind a cloud. Both shadows
Dimmed as she stepped away from the tree.

She happily approached her Father, smiling a victory smile
Having won out over this mystery that chased her all day.

"I did it, Daddy!" she said proudly.

"But honey. A shadow is only a reflection of you," her father said.

"But it's so big!" she told him. "I'm not that big."

"But in God's eyes you are. He shines the light of the sun
On you to prove it," he said.

There's an old Chinese proverb that in essence says,
"Little things cast big shadows."

As we move forward in life, our past becomes a shadow,
A reflection of who we are. All too often, although we are
Fully grown and mature adults, we too, are afraid of our own shadows.

But why?

A shadow is a dark image without details. It's an outline of
Who we are but lacks all the intricate tones and smartly cut
Traces of the real you. What the world sees is the part that
Faces the sun. The you that you have become. It's not
Interested in the image reflected on the ground, the stuff of yesterday.

Maybe you have no shadow of your own because you have
Been standing in the shadow of others. Step out into the light.
Show the world the face that is uniquely yours.

If you can see your shadow, you are headed the wrong way.
The real treasures in life come when we face the brightness
Of the day ahead.

I have two sunflowers that have grown in a small flower pot on
My deck. The first one finally bloomed after reaching nearly eight
Feet in height. As the day progresses the flower turns it's head to
Follow the light of the sun. I have yet to see it looking at it's shadow.

Are you not smarter than the flower?