For many of our residents, completing the Bridge House process is the first thing they have successfully completed in a very long time. We recognize this, and we celebrate this accomplishment. The Bridge Ceremony has been a tradition for our residents since we opened our doors in 2017. It is a way for us to honor progress and hard work, and for our community to express our well-wishes for residents as they prepare to move forward in their lives.
If you have ever visited Bridge House, you may have noticed a beautiful array of painted rocks surrounding the creekbed that runs through campus. As residents prepare to move on to their next steps, they will pick out a rock from the property and set it in the art studio. Fellow residents and staff will paint on the rock over the course of the week leading up to the resident’s departure from Bridge House. Inside jokes, well-wishes, kind messages, and other expressions of care and compassion will be decorated on the rock, creating a collage of memories and images unique to each person who has spent time with us.
The Bridge Ceremony is typically scheduled the day of or the day before a resident’s departure. The entire Bridge House community is invited to each ceremony, and it is not uncommon for employees to be present even when a ceremony falls on their day off. All participants will sit in a circle, signifying unity and equality. All are given an opportunity to explain what they painted on the rock and share any specific well-wishes for the resident. After everyone has had a chance to speak, the group will move out to the courtyard. The departing resident will stand on the bridge with their rock. They will be encouraged to share about their time at Bridge House and will often express gratitude to those who have helped and supported them during this journey. They then place their rock in the creek bed or the courtyard, creating a lasting legacy of their time with us, and signifying their accomplishments. These rocks serve as a reminder to other residents of all who have walked across this bridge before them.
