Greetings everyone and I’m Christian Robicheau welcoming you to October.
Ah yes October and a month that so many of us often do not appreciate for its beautiful days of coolness and brilliant scenes.
Today I am pleased to share a very reflective editorial with you by our president Donna J. Jodhan.
In fact, Donna is sharing a piece submitted to her by a reader.
She would love to hear from you.
Write to her at donnajodhan@sterlingcreations.ca
Enjoy your weekend.
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We Are The Bridge
By Donna J. Jodhan
Shared with readers
“We Are the Bridge”
My name’s Richard. I’m 74. I sometimes think our generation is the bridge between two worlds — one made of dirt roads and handwritten letters, the other made of satellites and screens in our pockets.
I was born in a house without air conditioning. Summer meant open windows and the hum of a box fan. We knew the neighbors by name, and if your bike chain broke, you knocked on any door until someone found a wrench. We grew up on patience — waiting for the mail, waiting for the library to open, waiting for the radio to play our favorite song again.
Then the world sped up. Phones shrank, music became invisible, and the news didn’t take days to reach us — it arrived in our palms before we finished breakfast. We learned to type, to swipe, to tap. We learned to talk to machines and have them talk back. We learned… because we always had to.
We’ve seen milk delivered to the door in glass bottles, and we’ve scanned groceries without a cashier. We’ve dropped coins in payphones and made video calls across oceans. We’ve known the sound of silence — no buzzing notifications — and the sound of an entire world pinging at once.
Sometimes younger folks think we’re behind. But here’s what I know: our generation knows both worlds. We can plant tomatoes and write an email. We can tell a story without Google, and then fact-check ourselves with it. We know the weight of a handwritten letter because we’ve held it, and we know the reach of a message sent in seconds because we’ve pressed “send” and watched a reply arrive from thousands of miles away.
We are proof that you can change without losing yourself. That you can honor where you came from while learning where the world is going.
We’ve buried friends and welcomed grandchildren. We’ve watched diseases disappear and new ones arrive. We’ve known paper maps and GPS, postcards and emojis, patience and immediacy.
And maybe that’s our real gift — we carry the memory of a slower, quieter world, and the skills to navigate the fast, loud one. We can teach the young that not everything needs to happen instantly… and remind the old that it’s never too late to try something new.
We are the bridge. The middle chapter. The link between what was and what will be.
I’d like to leave you with this for your consideration.
A large, human-made bridge stretches across a deep canyon or wide river — but the bridge isn’t made of stone or steel. Instead, it’s composed of people standing hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, forming the structure with their bodies. Each person is different — representing a diverse spectrum of ages, races, genders, cultures, abilities, and identities — all contributing to the strength of the bridge.
Left side of the bridge:
A chaotic, stormy landscape — symbolizing the problems of the past and present: broken systems, climate crisis, division, inequality, war, and fear.
Right side of the bridge:
A brighter, more hopeful horizon: lush green hills, clear skies, solar panels, children planting trees, people collaborating — representing a better, more just, sustainable future.
Positioning:
The people are the bridge. They are not just crossing — they are what makes the crossing possible. Some are building, some are holding up others, some are helping those who are afraid to cross.
Above or embedded in the bridge:
Faint but clear words like:
“Empathy”, “Justice”, “Action”, “Truth”, “Hope”, “Solidarity”, “Courage” — as if these are the beams and cables keeping the bridge intact.
Optional metaphorical detail:
In the distance, more bridges are forming — showing that this is not a one-time act, but part of a larger movement. Maybe some figures are reaching down to help others up, hinting at legacy and mentorship.
Image = A symbolic painting shows diverse people standing hand-in-hand across two arched bridges spanning a chasm, transitioning from a stormy, dark landscape on the left labeled ‘DIVISION’ to a bright, green landscape with solar panels on the right labeled ‘SOLIDARITY’. The bridges are formed by people supporting each other, with words like ‘EMPATHY’, ‘JUSTICE’, ‘ACTION’, ‘HOPE’, and ‘TRUTH’ arching overhead. On the dark side, individuals appear isolated and struggling, while on the bright side, people are collaborating and planting a tree, illustrating unity and positive transformation through collective action.
To learn more about me as an award winning sight loss coach and advocate visit www.donnajodhan.com
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