Building Bridges

This has long been one of my favorite poems. It never ceases to inspire me whenever I reread its timeless message:

The Bridge Builder

An old man, going a lone highway,
Came, at the evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast, and deep, and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
The sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned, when safe on the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.

"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim, near,
"You are wasting your strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way;
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide-
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?"

The builder lifted his old gray head:
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today
A youth, whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm, that has been naught to me,
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."

Will Allen Dromgoole

Particularly in my own family, the Lord has impressed upon me the value of “building bridges” for my younger siblings. As the Lord teaches me important truths, leads me through unforgettable experiences or allows me to acquire valuable skills and training, I seek to impart what I can to my younger siblings and to encourage them in their own pursuits. Most recently, we have begun a speech class. It has been so much fun to spend time together, learning some of the elements of good public speaking and sharing our presentations with each other. We are just about five weeks into the class, but I am already impressed to see each of them developing their own style as they become more comfortable and confident in their speaking.



Joey is full of enthusiasm, easily incorporating his never-ending flow of questions into his speeches to help draw us in and lead us to the answers as he makes his points.



Naomi is passionate, captivating her listeners from her very first words and amazing us with her depth of insight as she expounds on the issues that are important to her.



Noelle, ever-poised and precise, clearly articulating her thoughts and drawing on her wealth of information, garnered from the hundreds of books she has read.

Let us take to heart the attitude of the gray-haired bridge builder and remember to take time to build bridges for the generations to come. We can start by living out a good example, but let us continue with an intentional investment in the future through the lives of those young ones who will follow in our steps. What bridges are you building today?