"We wander through life, searching for belonging and validation. Here in this valley, we are pursued by the shadows of our regrets and haunted by the scars of our past. We are lost, but in seeking, we will find, and in finding, we will be found." "Shadows & Scars" is a messy book. Through poetry, T. Jason Vanderlaan tells a story, but not one that begins in the beginning, or ends at the end. This is about being in the middle, about wandering. This is about loose ends and unresolved issues and the tension of living in the in-between. All the while, dreams of peace and rest float just out of reach - elusive invitations, like fireflies dancing in the summer night. Within the framework of searching for belonging and validation, Vanderlaan explores a variety of topics - growing up in a divorced family, falling in love, giving and receiving broken hearts, losing the way and finding regret, the ache of letting go, wrestling with forgiveness and hope and trust. When the dust settles, these frayed ends of family, romance, and spirituality tangle together. The result is in an incomplete yet beautiful display, a portrait of the fearful desire to know and be known, to love and be loved, to seek and find and be found.