Andrew Ace Gess at the Friends of the Tug Fork River Facebook page posted this photo with the captions "Old truck bridge fading more into history" and "Don’t be afraid to remove bridges in life. Some are better not crossed again."
There is a lot of wisdom right there.
I also got a great deal out of the comments. One person wrote "I lived right there growing up. The road was moved there in that curve and you can’t even tell that area was big enough for a two story house with a front porch facing the river and a store/post office. Our coal pile was right by a path to the river there. My aunt and some friends lived in W.Va and we waded it all the time. Every time someone post a pic from that area it takes me back." Someone else wrote "Yes it does me too so many memories from the mouth of calf creek you on the right side of road and me on the left side a little farther up on the hill.I miss that time of my life much but it where my life I live now got started Sweet memeroies!!"
Two other comments said "Shot a lot of pop bottles off that bridge with dad when the river was up!!" and "Good word...that will preach!"
People who live in the coalfields have long memories, but the way these got expressed seem so dear and touching to me. One photograph of a falling-down bridge opens an emotional or mental photo album, and in a few minutes folks are talking about home and family and neighbors, high water and shooting pop bottles, and someone else gets the significance of it and calls it all what it is---a good preaching sermon.
The theology of a falling-down bridge and photography.
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