KNOTS AND BRIDGES

I was a little girl
when my Bubby taught
me that being me
meant I had to learn how to
tie knots and build bridges.
It meant I was always supposed to be
hospitable,
whether I wanted to or not.
it wasn’t about being nice or kind,
it was about being the one
who tied knots and built bridges.

it was about me moving
outside my comfort zones
and helping others move beyond theirs.
It was about helping start conversations
between lose threads
and building bridges
where opposing sides
could safely meet.

Your job is
to tie knots and build bridges.

It is about you finding that
wholeness and peace
within yourself
and allowing others to
see and understand
 you have and are
tying knots and building bridges
in your own life.

This is why I named you
Sarah Bella, she said
beautiful princess.
Your mission is to
unify the world
in your own way
as only you can
by tying knots and building bridges.

SOMETIMES

Sometimes I love being who I am

other times I wish I didn’t need to explain that

I am not black,

I am not white,

I am me.

I am the blend of those who came together in love

and created me.

Sometimes I am grateful

to have had my light skin,

and sometimes I hate it

because it leaves me feeling

and being told I do not belong

When I stand up for my blackness

I am no longer white enough.

When I come out as mixed,

I am not black enough

Sometimes I wish my skin

was just a shade darker.

so people could see my blackness.

But then I remember

I am perfect just as I am

and what matters most is

my pride in being biracial,

my remembering that I represent

what wholeness can look like

Sometimes I get tired of feeling

like the bridge that helps people understand

Then I realize this is my purpose

to be the bridge.

To be able to talk about

white privilege

racism,

colorism,

and all the other ways

we have come to distrust each other

and ourselves.

Sometimes I wish

I didn’t need to be a bridge,

but then I give thanks that I am

because bridges make it easier

for us to connect,

to cross divides

to move over walls

to find solutions

which could not be found

without the willingness

to use a bridge

LOVE HEALS

Sadly, I am so often reminded
we live in a world where we are
taught to see divisions.
This is what fear and hatred do
they divide
They build walls and construct barriers
which divide us from one another
and keep the systems in place;
systems which divide and conquer.

Love heals.
Love teaches us to see
the whole
Love unifies.
Love builds bridges which
enable us to meet,
talk,
discuss,
and understand.
Love enables us to transform the world
one person,
one relationship,
one community
at a time

HOSPITALITY

There is a peace which surpasses understanding
when we open our hearts to strangers.
We want to draw a line between us and them.
We would rather turn away or disconnect,
then build a bridge.
We are focused on walls which separate,
then bridges that connect.

Hospitality is about building bridges.
It is about living in a way which opens us up
which challenges us to act out of love.
It is about taking the risk
and finding joy in the unknown.
It is about finding positive energy
where we sought not to look.

Hospitality
is about love,
light,
positive energy,
joy,
courage, and
love.
Hospitality is
intentional
and radical.
It is about seeing
the Divine
in the stranger
and the strange.

It's Sharing Time

Crossing over the bridge this morning I was reminded that it connected me with those I was going to see. What in your life is a cue to find a new way to connect with someone you meet today.?