Briana Introduces Me to a Friend

The police and the firemen of Coral Springs showed up. They were the strong core of the town. Yet after the murders the year before, they are humbled.

Vulnerable men and women…

A policeman apologizes to me.

“We would have been here to help y’all build, but one of our men’s son committed suicide last week and we had that and other funerals to attend.”

They arrived and I felt the camaraderie between them. They appeared grateful to be here and proud to staple their badges to the alter.

I was proud to help them.

The first responders carried more than they ever receive credit for. In that moment, I felt their sadness and wounded hearts.

This is Noa, a shining young human. We crossed paths many times during construction. We are in the final stages of the build. There is a suprising relaxed feel in the late afternoon. She is with a friend and she introduces her to me.

“Hi this is my friend Sara,” she says

It is a delightful moment. We are so close to finishing the build. The afternoon rains have come and gone and there is a wonderful golden light. The temple is shining, you can truly feel something magnificent shining through the shadows.

I welcome them… “Lets go to my office and have a chat.” I say laughing and gesture the way towards the south eastern corner where the sun has a certain angle and the light reveals all the beauty of the the intricate shapes of the temple. The wet wood is reflective. I have stood here often just to marvel of what is happening during this build.

“How cool is this?” I say

“Oh my god, it is amazing, I had no idea it would be like this!” Noa exclaims. “ I can’t believe you all made this. Is this what you do?”

“Ha ha, I wish,” I laugh. “No I have a another job that pays the bills. We all volunteer to come out here and do this. I’m a landscape contractor, I design and build beautiful gardens back home.

“Oh that’s cool too! I’m still sorting out what I want to do.” Noa looks at me smiling.

“Hmm,” I say thoughtfully striking an exaggerated pose of deep consideration. “ I can see your future.”

“Oh really!” she says back playfully. “what do you see then?”

“Yes, yes, I see a photographer in you, but also a journalist. I see you writing and taking amazing photographs. I see you as an artist also. You’re inquisitive and thoughtful. You’ll see things in people that no one else sees and you will have these amazing tools to create them.”

“Oh wow!!! That’s crazy I’m so interested in all those things! Oh thank you for saying all those nice things.” Noa is good it’s easy to see that. I smile.

“Do Sara, what is Sara going to do for a job?”

Sara has been silent since we have met. I can feel that Noa has brought her here. I don’t ask personal questions the PTSD, the anxiety of loss and grief is palatable. This is all I need to know. I do not know Sara and Noa’s stories. I can tell that Sara is shy and that shyness also holds some trauma in it.

“hmmm,” I strike my pose again. “Sara I see you as a chef, I see you as someone who will love to learn about food. Not just how to cook it, but how it is grown, where it comes from, the soil and the amazing people who are growing it. You will know the farmers and your kitchen will make amazing fresh delicious food.”

Sara smiles for the first time. She is quiet but looks happy with her future vocation. Noa chimes in. “Sara you love cooking.”

“Yeah, I do….” her voice trails off. I’m not sure what happens next. She mentions something about a class room to Noa. I’m thinking it has something to do with our conversation but I’m outside of this. They are whispering. Suddenly Sara begins to cry. Her cheeks become rosy pink and tears emerge. As her emotions grow she become embarrassed and tries to fight off the feelings. Noa reaches out to touch her shoulder, lovingly. Such a good friend.

I know this moment. My own journey through loss and grief I have sat with many people in these places of emotions. “Hey Sara,” I say kindly. “It’s okay to cry. It is a beautiful thing to let these tears emerge. Your feelings are so strong, you feel so much. That is such a good thing. Don’t be afraid of this. Drop into what you’re feeling. If you go deep enough you will see that these tears are about love. You love so much. Someone you care about, someone or something you miss. So much love right now.”

Noa steps up “Yeah, Sara, he’s right you do have so much love.” Sara’s breathing begins to calm. Noa is holding her shoulders. This is why we build this Temple. Just for this moment. That is why we’re here in this corner. This is why you’re here. We built this for you.”

We are silent. Noa strokes her friend’s hair. We all step back and quietly feel the moment. I get goosebumps (again).

“I have goosebumps,” I say.

“Oh my god! I do too!” somehow that makes us all laugh.

We’re all silent for a few moments

Out of the blue, Noa asks, “Can you tell me, what is magic?”

I don’t remember ever talking about magic. But every day during the build, I felt something beyond my comprehension. Maybe Noa is a mind reader, or maybe I talked about it and she overheard me. Goosebumps that feel like electricity are happening all the time.

“Sometimes it’s something that is so beautiful and surprising, it is too impossible to explain... How did this happen?” I paused, Most people think magic is some big thing. Magic can be so small. That moment a few minutes ago is magic. You could feel it. Things line up and something happens we can’t explain. Like this behind me, every time I look at the sky there is a cloud formation with a hole in it!” I turned around and there were back-lit clouds with a large hole in the center. I laugh and Noa and Sara see the cloud with a large hole in it’s center with sun rays shining through like some biblical moment.

The sky is illuminated. Breathtaking. Sara begins to cry again. “I’m okay,” she says “ this is so beautiful. Thank you.”

Suddenly the light shifts. Someone calls my name.

“Hey before we go… If you think back on this time we’ve just shared, pause for a moment, take a deep breath. Remember this feeling. It’s called gratitude. Those are some good tears. Remember to breath. Feel some goosebumps. Remember what magic is.

You are both so significant.

Tomorrow we open this Temple. Thank you for being a part of this.

We built The Temple of Time on time. It often seems like a miracle that we complete this vision of art, yet we always do (knock on wood). The opening was remarkable and endearing. There is a steady flow all day. I sit on a bench outside and watch the steady flow of people walk into the Temple. They stand, take a breath look around, look up, look close.

You can feel each person have their own private moment. In Florida we may have a person who sees this temple and they believe passionately about the destructive role guns play in our society and the person right next to them passionately supports the NRA and voted for a president who also supports a system that could young unbalance kids to buy assault weapons and bullets made to maim a human body. Here there is no moral judgment. No matter what you believe on the political spectrum. Here it is about one thing. Feeling the pain of a community, the devastation to parents, and the grief of knowing 17 amazing and brilliant lights, students and teachers were murdered.

In just a few hours it has already began to fill up with people. The light that shines through the intricate lattice makes the inside feel cool and comforting.

While we were there for a few hours in the morning, I received a message that Brianna’s mother tried to get in touch with me. I gave out my number and I got a message from her on February 15, the day we left. Brianna was disappointed that she didn’t see me on the anniversary and asked if it was possible to get together before we left. Our crew had made plans to go to the beach, soak in the ocean and have a restorative lunch before going to the airport. I said I would love to meet them. Brianna’s mother added that Brianna had a special friend she wanted me to meet.

At the Temple, I watched the crowds move quietly around the space. Writing, reading, contemplating...

Brianna walked up with a stroller. We hugged and she showed me her bunny, Rosco. We held it. We didn’t talk about much. It was nice to share the moments together. Her mother was on a phone call and let Brianna have this space.. Brianna asked if I wanted to hold Rosco. I was honored. I taught her how to use power tools; she taught me how to hold this small, soft, furry animal. The light filtering through the Temple was soft and heavenly. People approached to meet Rosco. A crowd gathered. I gave Rosco back to Brianna. I watched her stand in the Temple, a small piece of ownership and pride. Grandparents, mothers and fathers, kids from the high school, are gathered around her and the bunny.