29 Elul
I walk softly on the damp wooded path.
Mostly I look down
and see the ground beneath my feet is
soft earth, gentle moss,
and, of course, fallen leaves, which,
like angels, have floated to earth
to form a path. A gently lit path in the woods.
And for every chasm along the way,
for every fast-moving stream of deeply cut valley,
a bridge appears.
It seems that there is always
a way across,
a way to get to the other side of fear, of sadness, of disappointment.
There is always a way.
Maybe goodness is the bridge, or beauty is the bridge.
Love is the bridge.
Forgiveness is the bridge.
Of this I am sure:
The path is eternal - it is our life and the length of our days.
And the bridge is eternal-
there are many ways to cross what seems impossible.
Stones in the river, ropes suspended, planks of wood,
arches of steel like love, patience, acceptance,
and forgiveness.
Excerpt from The Bridge to Forgiveness by Rabbi Karyn D. Kedar