Shinnformation Station

“Our life is a constant journey, from birth to death. The landscape changes, the people change, our needs change, but the train keeps moving. Life is the train, not the station.” Paulo Coelho

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The Midnight Hour

Published by

Joshua Shinn

on

The Midnight Hour
I originally wrote this for my The Roadless Travel Blog on October 13, 2013. I was an at-sea NC-PACE instructor aboard the USS Hue City and floating around the Persian Gulf. Many times in my life I have been literally and figuratively out-to-sea, searching for meaning and, to quote an old Johnny Lee song, “looking for love in all the wrong places.” This was was the result.
The Midnight Hour

i have sat silently
in the midnight hour
waiting for the night to pass

but
it did not pass

the dark hour
slipped into days
and days slipped into
weeks
and months
and years

so as i sat
silently in solitude
i gathered up my spirit
and in it
wrapped myself for warmth

but
as i stretched the fibers
of faith
and hope
and love

they grew
tragically thin

the bitter air brushed against my face
and still
i wrenched the fabric of my soul

i tried
desperately
to cover the parts of me that were
bare

in an effort to escape
the cold calamity

i walked

because i thought
i might feel
a path beneath my feet

but
i did not

i searched

because i thought
i might find
a reason not to fear

but
i did not

i cried out

because i thought
i might hear
a friendly voice
call my name

but
i did not

and so

i sat
subdued
in the midnight hour
huddled
under the cover of darkness
and of dread
and of doubt

waiting
for a sight
or a sound
or a source

……

suddenly
without suspicion or suspense

……

A Light Broke Through

It awakened my senses and aroused my spirit
My eyes strained to catch sight of the scene
I asked the heavens to verify its truth
But in that same instant
The chill that had set in my bones
Was beginning to lift
And so was the tenor of my soul

This was
In fact
The sun beginning to rise in my midnight sky

This was
the moment that I met
You

And now
Like a sailor searching for Polaris
I have found my point upon the horizon
I have found
My Bright Morning Star

Oh
How clearly do
I now navigate

And so

I rise

No longer seated in silence
Or stretched thin
Or subdued by some
Midnight hour

I rise

And in rising

I walk

No longer encumbered by the dark

I walk

Because You
Have given me strength
And purpose
And promise

I walk

Because I am the Bannerman
Carrying the colors of my King

Because I am the Knight
Riding roughshod into the battle

Because I am the Nobleman
Heralding a new birth from on high

I walk
Because of
You

And as I walk
I see
Clearly
The horizon
Stretching not in endless dread
Or doubt

But stretching like a long thread
Of hope
And faith
And love

The sun has risen
And a fire now blazes in my sky
And in my heart

A sun has risen
And it is You

It was always supposed to be
You

I have sat silently
In the midnight hour
Waiting for the night to pass

And it did pass

That dark hour
Slipped into day

And prayerfully
This day

This
Precious
Day

Will slip into
Weeks
And months
And years

Leave a comment

Hello,

Welcome!

This is Shinnformation Station! My name is Joshua Shinn, and, yes, I named this place Shinn + Information + Station = Shinnformation Station. I admit is sounds like some children’s programming similar to Captain Kangaroo or Reading Rainbow, but for reasons unknown, the name tickles me to no end. It scratches some happy itch in my brain and makes me smile, and that’s what matters, so I went with what I love.

For the longest time I have wanted to create a hub for stories, mental exploration, lessons learned, and memories made, especially since I am growing older and many of my stories are getting further in the rearview mirror– and what better place than a station? Station has multiple meanings. One meaning is “channel,” which this is; one meaning is “position” or “situation,” which there is some of that here, too, since I will share my perspectives on any number of subjects and experiences; but the meaning that is preeminent here is “depot,” like a train station. My late father, Kermit Shinn, used to work for Union Pacific Railroad in Kansas City, so I have always loved trains. They represent for me, my father, but trains also represent the American spirit, industry, adventure, and freedom. Shinnformation Station, then, represents a blend of nostalgia, introspection, and discovery.

This is a place where I get to write precisely how I desire. I’ve been told by many I should publish– poems, articles, essays, even books. I’ve dabbled, but never fully pursued it. I’ve been offered contracts (I’ve had one unsigned in my file cabinet for years) , but I never committed. Insecurity admittedly slows me, but passion is what really stops me. My words and ideas are my own. Publishers don’t want my words or ideas; they want their version of my words and ideas, the ones they believe will sell. I want none of that. The only time I’ve ever sold is when the words were wholly mine.

The words here will be wholly mine. I’m working to collect my previous writing and experiences, hoping to preserve the best of myself and my wife for our children. A child craves nothing more than a parent’s presence, especially when they are gone. So when that day comes, my hope is that this will serve as a portrait of who we were beyond what photos and videos capture. Images may record moments, but they don’t reveal our depth of character, thought, and emotion the way words can. Words alone hold the unique quality of conveying essence. It’s why God gave Himself to us in words.

Welcome to my word station– my Shinnformation Station. The name may be playful, much like I’ve often been in life, but the purpose is sincere: to explore and express the best of who I can become through words.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sincerely,

Joshua Shinn, writer, reader, hiker, husband, father, friend

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