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Shadows that Lurk in the Light: Chapter Twenty Four
Chapter Twenty Four:
Prior to my shooting, my sister and I took little trips to escape, trips that allowed us to take time to forget everything. For years, I pretended that it did not bother me that our parents did not care enough to stay, that my parents had walked out. Of course it did. Although I put on a facade, it haunted me day and night, but I never needed more than I needed to lay in a hospital bed, facing the reality of having been shot and paralyzed. I experienced a drastic change in my life in an instant and my parents were not present to comfort me, which was very difficult for me.
I was unable to hold the pain in anymore, nor could I pretend everything was okay, that I had not been deeply hurt by my parents’ departure or that I had not been able to reach out to them when I was struggling with the new reality I faced. I tried to focus on the fact that, while my parents had walked out, Jesus had never done so. He had been with me through the storm along with my sister.
“Tracey, man is messed up, but Jesus isn’t, which is why when we face the struggles of life, we need Jesus more than ever. Much of society has turned away from faith and from what really matters.”
With a nod, I acknowledged the truth of my sister’s statement.
