"It's always darkest before dawn."

Chasing Light From Behind The Shadows Volume 2 is a collection of thoughts, ponders, contemplative reflections, and short stories that transpired over the course of a five year window of my life.

I wish I could say it was an easy five years. But it wasn't. Quite frankly, it was probably the five hardest years of my life. 

If I am honest with you, written on the pages of this book is essentially me seeking to cheerlead myself to a brighter day by either encouragement through self talk, prayer and faith, or by finding hope woven into others that I had crossed paths with.

To read this, it's best you read at your own pace. I didn't write these words overnight. Therefore, you might not choose to read them overnight.

Regardless, these words were written during the darkest of my times. Hence, the chasing light from behind the shadows. Yet, if I am honest, the only reason for the shadows, as I know now, is because it's dawn.

I hope you enjoy. 

- Gunnar  

Hope is an illusion when found firmly clutched within the arms of those who seek to carry the impossible and walk alone. Hope is lost here. Hope is abandoned here like a shipwreck ran aground in the dark of night. Yet, fail not the Lighthouse we see in retrospect. We instead chose rather to sail forth with eyes closed and “confident” of our own perceived bearings while yet still void of surrender to a Hope that knows our future’s breath.

M. Craig Barnes once wrote, “There are so many temptations in the course of the day to be my own savior, which is always, always, a temptation to hurry in the wrong direction.”

This speaks to me. A hope that is an illusion is only masquerading as hope. A hope which is an illusion is most always an imposter which then is most always.. driven by fear. What drives me to carry the impossible before me and to walk alone? It makes me wonder. What makes me think I can do such with such?

Whatever you might find yourself carrying this very moment, be not alone. Lay down your impossible. There is a Hope that knows not illusion from whom all things are no longer resigned to just be the impossible before us. On the contrary, nothing is impossible with this Hope.

So we stop running in the wrong direction and instead abandon our fear like that of a ship ran not aground, but rather still, a ship that has sailed safely into harbor, within the light of this new day. In the light of this new day.. I like that. It makes me feel not alone.