I have always felt protected by my husband. But things changed when he had a massive stroke and was gone from home from August to January. Those were difficult days that included hospital, skilled rehab and nursing home care. It was hard for me to come home to an empty house, especially at night. I remember how scary it was to get the mail in the dark. The mailbox was at the end of what seemed the longest driveway in the world. Our driveway had tall shrubs that lined one side of the driveway. One dark night, as I was walking down the driveway to get the mail, I said to the Lord, “I’m scared. I don’t like this. Somebody might be hiding behind these tall bushes and hurt me.” Immediately the Lord brought to my attention my shadow. In the dark, God used the light from the porch to cast a shadow of me. The closeness of my shadow was a visual reminder that God was also close like a shadow and protecting me. My trips to the mailbox changed. My shadow continued to encourage me that God is near, step by step, just like the shadow.