Patsy Clairmont's Dancing Bones

Have you ever read the book Dancing Bones by Patsy Clairmont? Goodness sakes ~ it is one of her greatest works. She bases her writing on Ezekiel 37: 1-10. (If you move the cursor over the reference, the verses will pop up for you to read). She uses the term "dance" throughout the book to symbolize a happier walk through life despite diversity ~ despite the valleys that we often find ourselves in.

She says "Have you ever read Ezekiel 37? It talks about a whole valley full of folks who’d lost their rhythm. It seems these people had the "dance" knocked out of them until they crumbled into a heap of bones on the valley floor. That’s why I think it’s worth spending a little time looking at the valley in Ezekiel ~ and our own valleys."

At this point Patsy welcomes her readers to ‘valley experience’ ~ the place where we meet Reality ~ the place where we look up to the mountain top where we can hopefully escape all the hardships of the valley. And yet we know it really isn’t like that. Most of our life is spent in a valley of some sort. And so Patsy puts it this way ~ "I’m excited about the valley living and let me tell you why. From the mountain top I can see an eagle soar, but I’ve learned that in the valley I can hear a sparrow sing. On the mountain I see trees like canopies, but in the valley I can sit in their shade and eat of their fruit. On the mountain I see lakes like small mirrors, but in the valley I can touch the reflections and ladle the water to my parched lips. On the summit I see people like walking sticks, but in the valley I can trace a child’s face and dab away tears."

She encourages her readers that we won’t always hear the music in the valley but even during those dark times we can have the "dance" of faith ~ for valleys can be be very rich with life. Stay tuned for chapter two!