The truth can often be brutal. Withholding the truth for the sake of “protecting” can be even more brutal. Once upon a time, I believed there were a myriad of things I needed to protect, that I must protect. The list was long; family, friends, neighbors, strangers, past, present, future, integrity, reputation, even my faith. The truth doesn’t ask to be withheld, and people should not be protected from it. Allowed to accomplish its perfect work, Truth has the power to set us all free. When I was a child, my parents and I would often go camping on the weekend in our small trailer. We had a favorite camp site located next to the river and under the tall Idaho pines. Because our “spot” was almost a hundred miles from home, we would usually arrive long after dark on Friday night. Once we were settled in bed, I would gaze out the small upper bunk window at the towering pines, thinking how big and unfriendly they appeared in the night shadows. I’d then snuggle deep into my sleeping bag, close my eyes, and dream of morning. When the first rays of sunlight appeared, I would again look out the small window. The huge pines which had seemed so threatening in the dark now glistened in the morning sun. Truth tenderly whispers when it’s time to step out from the shadows and into the light of day. -Deborah L. Norris