Life has a way of removing the solid ground that used to surround us, doesn’t it? I vividly remember going to my grandmother’s on special holidays, seeing all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins - some old enough to be my parents. I can picture them sitting in the same chairs every visit. My aunt, who smoked like a chimney, a couple of uncles, always standing in the front parlor, talking non-stop with their hands in their pockets; and another aunt who always needed a kiss, accompanied by her husband, my uncle, who invariably sat on the hassock, armed with a couple of handfuls of jokes.

Sadly, none of my aunts and uncles are here anymore, and some of my cousins have passed as well. Once my grandmother died those family get-togethers nearly fizzled out. Now as I look back, I realize that bridge-building is essential to maintain those connections. There’s no avoiding it. I’m able-bodied and wise enough to understand the metaphorical power of a bridge, reconnecting what was once solid ground.

“Life is the love that reaches out, building bridges across gulfs of uncertainty to touch hands, hearts, and souls in the experience of union.”

Peter Seymour

My heart is open, my welcome mat is out. I sit on my porch surrounded by memories connected to the spirit of all those responsible, for the kissy faces, corny jokes, raspy voices, and ashtrays overflowing with cigarette butts. I think of my uncles always having private conversations out loud, and my grandmother at the center of it all - sitting in her rocking chair, apron on, dish towel over her shoulder, and rolled-down nylons tucked into her black slippers with the toes cut out!

Words can be like an excavator, removing the solid ground around us. My words are no different. They are also tools, and it takes tools to build bridges. When what you have is all that you have, our light will always show the way.

“Love is the bridge between you and everything.”

Rumi

Those gatherings were absent of cell phones. There was never any doom-scrolling, no video games, and the TV wasn’t even turned on. The house was packed and folks never ran out of things to talk about - it’s kind of amazing when you think about it.

A phone call, a handwritten letter, or even a text message - all are tools that can build the bridge to replace the solid ground that once kept us together. I can’t sit in a room with all of those folks anymore. There will come a time when we won’t need bridges anymore. But for now, I’m on the bridge, and I am going to keep walking until we’re all on the same side!

“Metaphorical bridges require no steel or wood, just open hearts and minds willing to traverse them.”

Gloria Steinem

Talk soon…

G