"Lives on the line where dreams are found and lost
I'll be there on time and I'll pay the cost
For wanting things that can only be found
In the darkness on the edge of town"

~Bruce Springsteen from "There's A Darkness On The Edge Of Town" 1977

How do we plumb our own depths with unflinching courage? How do we face our deepest, darkest fears? Can we go into that void and return? If we cross a line somewhere, is there any way back? What doors close behind us? Which new ones will open? Can a bad man find redemption? 

Where am I going with all of this? Again, the message is finding purpose and inspiration, but also facing our fears. Heady topics that can make us want to look the other way.

I have been fortunate to have faced death. I have also witnessed people I love face death. It changes you quickly, in the blink of an eye. Before you can take a breath. Before you have time to think about what has happened.
 
Where could there possibly be an uplifting message here? These situations in our life force us to focus on what is really important. We are humbled beyond belief, and yet, transformed by this gift we call life. I have found that I see life so much more as a gift. I look back at courage we all seem to find at those moments and the prayers we pray when we are standing at the edge of our own existance.

Just a few memories that have stuck with me. I'm sure you have your own.

Before he succumbed to Pancreatic Cancer. My own father was able to let go of his fears and it was amazing to watch. One day we were fixing his camper up in the Spring. He stirred up a hornet's nest by accident. I ran back out of the way while he stood calmly, admiring the savage beauty that swirled around him. He didn't even flinch and was not stung even once. 

Before my grandmother died at the age of 93, we would have long conversations about the people that she loved and missed. Most of whom she had outlived, including her 5 children. She still spoke so lovingly of her husband, my grandfather, as if he had just stepped out to run errands. He had died in 1943.

Cassie René Bernall was martyred at the age of 17 at the Columbing High School massacre. With a gun pointed in her face, she was taunted and asked if she still believed in God to which she bravely responded "Yes, I do". Cassie was from my church.

In the middle of a serious car accident that destroyed my car and turned the engine into a deadly projectile, I found the courage to pray to God for protection. I was able to walk away from it. Airbags? There were none and I was not wearing a seatbelt.

The list goes on, but my point is brief. We are all here for a reason. You and I are not perfect and, yes, life can be a rocky road sometimes. Face each day, each situation with courage and push back against your fear. I believe that God is everywhere (even in our darkest moments) and with us every step of the way. Giving new life to your courage and faith.

Inspiration? Sometimes it comes from above.