Daily Meditation by Henri Nouwen

Crossing the Road For One Another

We become neighbours when we are willing to cross the road for one another. There is so much separation and segregation: between black people and white people, between gay people and straight people, between young people and old people, between sick people and healthy people, between prisoners and free people, between Jews and Gentiles, Muslims and Christians, Protestants and Catholics, Greek Catholics and Latin Catholics.

There is a lot of road crossing to do. We are all very busy in our own circles. We have our own people to go to and our own affairs to take care of. But if we could cross the street once in a while and pay attention to what is happening on the other side, we might become neighbours.

emphasis mine

The Mighty Atlantic

The beach. Oh, the beach,
where Bill and I walked on
the sand, collected broken
sea shells. Nothing spectacular.

We spent two hours watching
boats, loving the Atlantic,
my toes happy to meet healing
salt water. Let perfect waves kiss

my feet, the waves wash away my
arrogance. Nothing says, “you are
a speck” like an ocean. This ocean
is salty fun, the Mighty Atlantic is

God’s creative best.