Reflections 1/29/2020: I try and be true to talk to You, God about whatever is presently happening in my outer and inner life. Unfortunately, in the last 4 months, that has included an abundance of physical woes! I am tired of the daily blow-by-blows that just seem like sympathy solicitation. So as I discussed this with You today (after an endoscopy that requires another 7-10 days to cultivate the biopsies for any definitive answers… so I get to be 9 months pregnant for another lovely stretch of time!), You brought this verse to mind. Perhaps I am chronicling a process, even a path, that describes how to hold tightly to Your hand, even when “troubles” seem to be calling all the shots. Hmmm…. that would make me a bit of a “cartographer”… (some who creates maps)! “When you get to the swamp of despair, turn right to the weeping willow tree where you will find “the God of all comfort” waiting to catch your tears.” So anyone reading this, I share this journey with you, through the ups and many downs, not because my medical condition is so terribly fascinating as compared to others’, but in the hopes that it can be a travel guide that includes wrong turns, detours, eureka discoveries, and tips for survival in the seemingly endless waiting rooms… penned by a cartographer who is slogging through those swamps in real-time.  And desperately grasping Your comforting hand, Jesus. Because Your time on earth didn’t exempt You from our human pain, You are the best travel companion and Master Cartographer!