I was recently reading about bridges and they are fascinating structures. More than just a means of getting from one place to another, they have had many functions throughout time. Bridges were places where lovers met, where one could go for reflection or to view the sights from an alternate view. They were also used as public meeting places for gossip or for business. The village bridge as a meeting place was common because it was easily seen, recognized and usually could not be missed.
What bridges are we in need of in our lives today? Do we need a place of pause so we might take a moment in reflection? Or, perhaps we need to see life from an alternate view. Perhaps from the bridge things will not look so harried or chaotic and the pieces of our lives will neatly fit together like the jagged pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, or look like a Monet painting – so much more beautiful viewed from a distance. Do we need to meet someone? Perhaps the bridge we need is a place where we can meet our lover and open our hearts to another so that we might come to love another more than ourselves.
Or, perhaps the bridge we need is merely the means to travel from one side of the trail to the other . . . in our quest for growth and new spiritual awareness this Lent.
Look for bridges today. They are necessary and they provide moments of grace. Take the bridge. Reflect. See. Meet. Love. Be born anew.