The Bridge Builder
by Will Allen Dromgoole
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 strength in building here;
Your journey will end with the closing day,
You never again will pass this way.
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide—
Why build you the bridge at 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!”
Learning from those who walked the path before us.
Growing up, I often felt I had life all figured out—until a caring parent would gently suggest there was a better way. Sometimes pride and ego would step in, and I’d insist on doing it my way.
It never took long before I was served a slice of humble pie, realizing that those who had already traveled this road truly did have a better idea.
As we travel this way, we look ahead to those who have already gone before us. We learn from people who have experienced the very path we’re about to walk.
They know what works because they’ve been there. These pages are dedicated to looking forward—seeing what has been, and sharing the counsel offered by those who have built the bridges and crossed the chasms.
Who Am I?
Who am I? That is of little consequence. Suffice it to know my desire is just to give a voice to those who no longer walk among us, or are too timid to share their wonderful words that are so relevant and helpful.
