Threshold Moment

The loafless neighbor
At the door of…
The many-loaved neighbor
Who is in greater need?
The one in need of bread?
Or the one in need of empathy?
Both are at the threshold
But the door remains closed
One has swallowed pride
The other indifference

To me this is not about knocking
And having the door open
It’s all about the threshold
What if the door and it’s hinges never existed
Our heart of hearts
Knows what’s behind it
It can see it
The vision already framed in
Our hearts are the ones that need opening
A door requires an opener
A turning of the handle
A threshold only requires a step forward
The many-loaved can see his neighbor
As can the loafless see him
No door
Just a threshold
One, a  way to acceptance
The other, a way to redemption
Which is for which?
I don’t know
It’s a two-way interchange
That a threshold allows
A door gets in the way

Wouldn’t it be nice
If the doors we shut on our enemies
And the doors they shut on us
Could be envisioned
As simple thresholds
Just simple thresholds to step across
Or the doors we create or perceive
Became thresholds
Opportunities not for the knocking
But opportunities to step through and embrace.
_____________________________________________________

I wrote this last year, long before our walk was imagined. I look at this upcoming walk as a threshold moment for Jim and me, and for all of you. For our friends and families, it’s a natural consequence of the synergy Jim and I have generated for over 55 years.

For those of you becoming aware of our desire to be lights in others’ lives, welcome to our journey! We really don’t have any ulterior motives. Cookies and t-shirts make that abundantly clear.

The Buddhist monks in Texas walked 2200 miles, and their message of peace allowed many to cross the threshold from a “What can I do?” feeling to a “I gotta do something! mindset.

Jim and I are crossing the threshold to do just that. Thanks for joining us.