Truth

One day last week, after finishing my Liberte yogurt, I found myself contemplating that morsel of truth found on the underside of the lid:

"Whatever satisfies the soul is truth." - Walt Whitman

A strong statement.  And one that I admittedly tried to find fault in.  I am quite the skeptic and philosopher, and when faced with generic confounds of wisdom, I think it's human nature to first, question it, and second, try to tear it down.

And so I though about it hard.   Can truth really be broken down as purely those things that satisfy the soul?  What if those things are sinful?  Would sin satisfy the soul?   I think, ecumenical speaking (and I don't even know if that's spelled correctly or if that's the right usage), that sinful things would not satisfy the soul... they go against God and therefor cannot satisfy the soul.  Eventhough in some instances, they would appear to do so.  Sin feels good but it doesn't satisfy the soul.  Even when we are sinning, we know that it is wrong.  And for that reason, it will not fill our soul with good.  Our souls belong to God and are to be filled with goodness that can only come from God.  And since God is truth, God satisfies the soul.  He gives peace, comfort, and completeness.

On a lesser note, I find great joy in photography.  I love being able to capture a moment and give it worth beyond my memories.  Photography is a visual map to my days and time, and through it, I connect with myself, others around me, and even the spiritual side of things.

This past weekend, we had the pleasure of helping my dad celebrate his birthday.  He and his wife had all of the kids and grandkids up to the Smokies for a weekend of togetherness.  And it was awesome!  Penny did great and truly enjoyed herself.  And she got to experience new things... like an aquarium and a petting zoo.  The feeling of being able to walk amongst a herd of goats and deer and feel no fear.  She talked to them, watched them, and interacted with them.  It brought such joy to my day to watch her and to experience that with her.  I feel like that is what I am charged to do for her, and that it something that we are gladly taking on!  That is another truth that satisfies our souls.