Bridge to Terabithia

It brought me back to my early teenage years. Most people who went to high school in the 90s probably remember being required to read this book for English— Bridge To Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. I was one but high school being so long ago, I could hardly remember what the story was about. At least until now.

The movie version of the book not only told a classic story but also brought back some memories.

Jesse Aarons is a picked-on, quirky schoolboy from a poor family who struggled socially. As the only son in a family of four children and surrounded by sisters, he often draws the short straw—especially when it comes to his father. He has big ambitions of becoming a sprinter, training every day in his more-than-worn-out shoes. Every day is a struggle and a burden.

That is, until Leslie Burke came along.

In sharp contrast, Leslie was an only child from a rich family. She was smart, pretty, talented—but also socially lacking. But what made her unique was her imagination.

Leslie and Jesse were like two friends destined for each other. After she managed to beat all the boys in the sprint race, Jesse thought his life was over. But Leslie made his world come alive.

It began with a swing rope, then the other side of the river, then the broken down treehouse. Leslie suddenly made Jesse’s existence meaningful. Terabithia was their escape from reality, a place where it was just them, where no-one could tell them what to do and their imaginations could run free.

“Keep your mind wide open and you can create a whole new world,” Leslie would often say. She did, which allowed Jesse to as well.

All seemed so wonderful now for Jesse. That was until he came home to find his best friend gone, Leslie being swept away by the raging river that separated reality from their place of freedom. It was then that his entire world came crashing down. Nothing had meaning anymore. Life didn’t seem worth living. Not alone.

It’s scary to think how we would cope with losing someone we care about. Most of us don’t, and probably will never know that until we lose them. For Leslie and Jesse, they only had each other. They cherished each moment they had. What made it more special was that they were doing it together.

God has put people in each of our lives that make it significant and give meaning to each day. These people don’t come along very often.

Like Jesse and Leslie, there was similar friendship in the Bible—that of David and Jonathan. Likewise David was from a poor background, while Jonathan was destined to be king. You can find the story in 1 Samuel 18-20. It’s a story of true companionship, where both were determined to always stand for the other, even through to the death of Jonathan.

So as a loyal friend, what did Jesse do following his friend’s death? He built a bridge—not to be used as a means of getting from one side to the other, but as a way of remembering Leslie and all the good times that they shared. It was a raging river that took her away; a bridge across gave him complete access to his fantasy land. This bridge also allowed him to share Terabithia with one other that he was close to, his little sister—the one other person that understood him and believed in him. And together, Leslie’s fantasy could live on.

Sometimes it may take a tragedy to make us realise what we have and to enable us to build that bridge.

So each day as you live, make the most of every moment; the time you spend with your friends, your family and your loved ones.

Hold onto the good things you have. Always be grateful for those good things. Like Jesse and Leslie, it might not be easy to make friends. But when you do find them, don’t take them for granted.

Remember to make every moment count and allow God to be the centre of it. Then you will find real meaning in life.

You can help others build bridges over troubled waters.

And remember, all of us always have a “friend that sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).