A Word (or two) from Mark

This past summer, I walked on a nearby bike trail that crosses a bridge to an island in the James River.  The trail runs the full length of the island and crosses another bridge to reach the other side.  The trail also runs underneath a four lane highway bridge that crosses the James.  Standing near this bridge you can hear the sound of cars speeding by overhead, all the while seeing the river slowly drift by. As I did this that day, the contrasts were extreme.  I thought of a scene in the book Prince Caspian.  The river asked Aslan to set it free from the bridge because the bridge allowed people to cross without going through the water.

Although bridges can be a metaphor for connecting, on this particular day I saw them in a different way.  The bridge, high above my head, allowed travelers to hurry on their way without slowing down.   As I watched the water that day, I thought of all the beautiful things a river can symbolize — cleansing, healing, life from above.  I thought of busy travelers avoiding getting wet.  I thought of how often I avoided getting wet. How often do I avoid slowing down?   How often do I take the bridge, rather than going to the water’s edge?

I resolved that day to slow down and spend more time “by the water” each week.  I did for awhile, but then “busyness” set it.  But I am going walking again real soon.

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