Your rod and your staff they comfort me

I have read Psalm 23 all my life and I never really understood "Your rod and your staff they comfort me" I'm seeing a long strong stick as the rod and the staff a shepherds hook.That doesn't seem very comforting.
Today as I was reading Psalm 23 - yet again - it came to me.
This last year has been gut wrenching for me. I have had enormous amounts of mental and spiritual battles I have been fighting. I have had to fight myself and my inclinations, desires and instincts. That's where the rod and the staff came in. As I was being tossed all over by the winds and waves of worry, anger, fear I held on the the rod. It was strong and stable. I loved the rod. The rod was the Word of God. Through His Word the Lord steadied me, gave me a firm grasp of His strength and His long term vision. The rod was like a lifesaver. Though I could not see the sun and the sky I had His rod to hold onto until finally the waves and the wind died down and the peace returned. The rod, His Word whispered constancy and steadfastness to my mind. God's Word said for me to love and that was my job during all the chaos, that's how I was to hold onto the rod.God gave me a strength and it was through His command of loving and forgiving that I was rescued during my own dark time.
All my storms aren't over, I still have storms but after having gone through that really big one with God He has shown me that He is able to be my strength.
I have to give one more thought to the process of making it through that storm. The Lord held me up with His rod and his staff and another one of the ways He did it was through my wonderful family. God used the loving hearts of my family to be like a salve to me. Even when in their own hearts they were hurting they were kind and attentive to me. I am so grateful to them.
The Lord used the body of Christ to be an encouragement also. No one could go through my portion of my storm but me but I will always love the body for caring, encouraging and helping me through all of it. For supporting our family through it all.
So, the rod and they staff they shall comfort me. They did, they do and I will praise our loving Shepherd for ever.