"What if there are rivers that feel too wide to cross?
Deep in “What the Road Said” by Cleo Wade, this question appears with the response, “Keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going, said the Road.”
I am drawn to the Mississippi River, even though I never grew up anyplace near it. The Mighty Mississippi provides water for many communities, a shipping channel for goods and services, and can also be incredibly destructive when it floods. And in years of drought the river can become too shallow to move these barges. There are waterfalls, bayous, swamps, and places to swim. Its sheer size and power, well it is called mighty for a reason.
Both the widest and narrowest sections are in Minnesota, where the headwaters are for the 2,552 miles of the river. On a recent trip to Minnesota, I took a picture out of the window of the airplane that reminded me of how a river can be so wide and complex in our lives, you may ask yourself is it possible to get to the other side?
Look up the rivers of the Bible, Jordan, Euphrates, Tigris, and others. And they are a metaphor for life. Each river is different, can change course, some are calm and others have rapids. Ups and downs and can split into tributaries, streams, and join other rivers. And they can be too far to cross and forces us to navigate the waters.
The Garth Brooks song, "The River" reminds me of how you can keep going, "with the Good Lord as my captain."
The River
You know a dream is like a river
Ever changin' as it flows
And the dreamer's just a vessel
That must follow where it goes
Trying to learn from what's behind you
And never knowing what's in store
Makes each day a constant battle
Just to stay between the shores
And I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Like a bird upon the wind
These waters are my sky
I'll never reach my destination
If I never try
So I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Too many times we stand aside
And let the waters slip away
'Til what we put off 'til tomorrow
Has now become today
So don't you sit upon the shoreline
And say you're satisfied
Choose to chance the rapids
And dare to dance the tide
Yes, I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Like a bird upon the wind
These waters are my sky
I'll never reach my destination
If I never try
So I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
There's bound to be rough waters
And I know I'll take some falls
But with the good Lord as my captain
I can make it through them all
Yes, I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Like a bird upon the wind
These waters are my sky
I'll never reach my destination
If I never try
So I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Yes, I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
'Til the river runs dry
Marcie Doll