It was a beautiful summer evening and I was riding my bike on the seawall when I passed an art installation with a ‘wind phone.’ My first thought was that it might just be a little silly to have an unconnected phone by the sea – but for some reason I stopped to investigate.
The wind phone is there so anyone can sit quietly and call up a loved one who cannot be reached or to channel grief by speaking to a loved one who has left this world. It is a quiet chance to simply express feelings. The diary is an invitation to put those thoughts into the written word.
I was deeply moved to read the profoundly personal diary entries and my heart went out to those leaving these beautiful messages of love. As I did so, I pictured those I miss and who are a long distance away, I thought of those who left us and with their final breath gave us a part of themselves, and I thought of the graces in life such as faithful and ever encouraging friends.
I attempted to speak into the phone but my weeping chocked the words. I tried to scribe my feelings and could only manage two words “Hi Mom…”
It takes courage to be vulnerable enough to connect with our inner most feelings and strength to express them. Once again, I was reminded to travel ever so gently and kindly in this world, for the person I meet may be on a long and painful grieving journey that I may not be able to fully appreciate.
This experience was a lesson for me to stay curious and to accept the power in offering space to heal, including an unhooked phone by the sea.
@Brenda Schoepp (2025)
(A garden designer from Ōtsuchi Japan named Itaru Sasaki, created the first wind phone to stay connected with his deceased cousin. The phone quickly became public following the devasting tsunami of 2010. There are now hundreds of installations by individuals, communities and hospice worldwide.)