The Bridge #84
in which we celebrate the natural and supernatural both
Hello
& Welcome to The Bridge!
Ideally this week is one for you that is restful and calm, maybe a little unpleasant (like being buried alive) but perhaps also a kind of hibernatory baptism, like we’re planting ourselves as seeds, we’re burrowing under the covers, we’re accepting a little seasonal darkness and really hoping for things to grow in 2024. Let’s cultivate hope.
Something Serious
Once upon a time a boy was at the beach. “Looks like rain clouds,” his mom said to another parent friend they were with. “I’ll go get the van, so we can all speed back to the house without getting soaked.”
The mom walked up the beach to the road and headed toward the house a few streets back where the van was parked. The boy followed. No one noticed.
The boy got lost. A woman (a stranger) saw him and asked if he knew where he was going. He explained that he had been trying to follow his mom, from the beach, but his mom had walked too fast. He’d lost track of the route.
The woman decided to lead the boy back to the beach. The van was there, and the mom and the other parents had been worried. They hurried the boy into the van, so they could all get home before the downpour hit.
They turned to thank the woman stranger who helped the boy find back his mom, but she was gone. Some said she was an angel. It’s certain she brought a message, and that message was “when we feel lost, strangers can help.” Helpful indeed.
Something Interesting
Sacred Streets (by Jason Leith)
I find all sorts of inspiring things to share, many of which you the reading community of The Bridge first share with me, and then I take some time to process, and sometimes include it here weeks or months later for others to enjoy.
This artwork was shared with me by my mom. I was struck by the thoughtfulness of the artist’s statement. “One reason I have stuck to drawing and painting,” he writes, “is that there is no immediate capturing of an image. Instead, both the subject and the artist sit with each other for extended periods, in a slow-paced, wonderfully personal space. The medium naturally bridges difference and division.”
He draws portraits on found objects, and in so doing elevates “the person who is homeless” into a veritable saint. Each is humbly portrayed yet inspiringly described, and I’m happy that thanks to the internet we can see it. #MAGIC
Something Fun
Someday at Christmas (cover by Jack Johnson, originally sung by Stevie Wonder)
A few decades ago, I’m living in Pennsylvania, and we’re in the car. My dad puts in a CD I hadn’t ever heard him play before. (yes, a CD!)
Something about eating banana pancakes, and I ask my dad how it is we’re listening to this music. It feels like he’s always listening to the same things. My step-sister had recommended him the album.
Thank you step-sister for getting my dad to open up to new things. My own mind opened up to possibility that day. 😉
Back to the present day, Jack Johnson is still making music, and I liked the timeliness of the song lyrics. (Check them out below.)
Something to Practice
Sometimes when we look at the world around us, we feel so sad at the conflicts that seem to have no end, and we worry that others won’t do their part to heal the world in our lifetimes.
If you find yourself feeling like you can’t turn away, maybe close your eyes.
Pay attention to the conflicts inside, and if you can talk it out with others, do.
Peace inside, if we can find it, makes for peace outside. (I hope?)
And someday all of our dreams will come to be
Someday in a world where men are free
Maybe not in time for you or for me
But someday at Christmas time
Well, there will be peace on earth
I said there will be …
Peace on earth,
JPC 🎄