Weekly Words for the Journey

To My Beloved PBBC Community

This Sunday during worship we will once again hear the familiar and beloved words of the 23rd Psalm. I want to share with you an adaptation of that Psalm, written by James Taylor in a book called, “Everyday Psalms.” As it looks back on a long and full life, it speaks to me now, as we look back on the long and hard life we are still living…

God has walked with me; I could ask nothing more.
God has given me green meadows to laugh in,
clear streams to think beside,
untrodden paths to explore.
When I thought the world rested on my shoulders,
God put things into perspective.
When I lashed out at an unfair world,
God calmed me down.
When I drifted into harmful ways,
God straightened me out.
God was with me all the way.
I do not know what lies ahead,
but I am not afraid.
I know you will be with me.
Even in death, I will not despair.
You will comfort and support me.
Though my eye dims and my mind dulls,
you will continue to care about me.
Your touch will soothe the tension in my temples:
my fears will fade away.
I am content.
In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with me.
All through life, I have found goodness in people.
When life ends,
I expect to be gathered into the ultimate goodness of God.
(Based on Psalm 23)

I thank you all for walking with me, and for giving me places to laugh, think, and explore. I thank you for putting things into perspective, for calming me down and straightening me out. I thank you for being with me, to comfort and support me, to continue to care about me. I thank you for helping to soothe the tension and make fears fade away. All the way through this journey, I have found goodness in people, and goodness in YOU, knowing that one day we will be gathered into the ultimate goodness of God.

Still missing you, and always loving you,
Pastor Claudine

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