During my senior year in college, I took a course in philosophy and religion that opened my mind and heart to all religions. For the first time in my life, I understood that my God was God of all people and that  I had a spiritual connection with all life.

But my strength and understanding were tested in a time of great crisis. My husband Lloyd and I suddenly lost a child to crib death. He was a perfect little boy with no sign of illness. Overwhelmed with grief, we tried to find something that would make sense out of what had happened, but we could not.

Trying to be of help, our friends gave us books to read. Nothing touched me until I read the writings of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan on grief. His definition of God as the oneness that binds us all together gave me comfort when I needed it most. I returned to the path of spirituality.

And, of course, Daily Word always seems to have something just right to say when we most need it. For years, this little magazine has been a guide—sometimes a lifeline—and always an inspiration to Lloyd and me and to our children.

The Early Years

The early years were not easy. Lloyd was a struggling, often-unemployed actor with a meager, undependable income. Every morning we read Daily Word. To our amazement, the messages often seemed written just for us and lifted us out of despair.

Eventually, Lloyd's career took strides forward, and we started to raise a family. Like many actors, Lloyd had to be away from home on location filming in distant places, and I needed all the strength I could muster to contend with my loneliness, assume sole responsibility for the children, and keep the home fires burning. Daily Word always came to my rescue. I read some pages over and over.

For many years, the Bridges' family routine began with all of us having breakfast together. Hectic and hurried though the event might be, either Lloyd or I read Daily Word out loud. Were our three children listening?

Most of the time I didn't think so. There was Beau finishing up his homework, Jeff trying to eat and read the funnies at the same time, and Lucinda feeding the dog under the table. But somehow the message got through. Long after they grew up and left home, we found out.

Keeping That Spiritual Connection

Beau enlisted in the Coast Guard Reserve and took off for boot camp, a strictly-disciplined environment. For the first few weeks, we were not allowed to contact him except in an emergency. Finally, he was able to phone us, and he sounded depressed. “What can we send you?” I asked. “I'll make your favorite cookies, and Dad has some magazines for you.”

“There's only one thing I need or want,” Beau said earnestly. “Send me Daily Word as soon as you can, because I don't think I'm going to make it through this experience without it.”

Jeff was given his own subscription soon after he struck out on his own. Even now, years later, he will call us and say: “Did you read the Word today? You didn't? It's a great thought; let me read it to you.”

Our daughter Lucinda has her own subscription, too, and reflects the wisdom she garners from it. This shows in her home, where she is a loving wife and mother, in her closeness with us and her brothers, in her valued friendships with others.

Even when they were very young, our children commented on or asked questions about what they heard us read from Daily Word. Some questions were hard to answer. But once in a while, we came through.“Just who is God?”one of the older ones asked. “And just how do you know God really does exist?”

“If the word God bothers you so much,” I replied, “Then simply add another o to the word and it changes to Good.” That satisfied them.

The Importance of Love

Because our family is large and close, friends and even strangers will ask what we did to make it turn out that way. Of course, the first thing we always point out is the importance of love, and then we will admit it takes luck too, because we don't want to sound smug. And honestly, we consider ourselves very lucky people.

We know from experience that some kind of spiritual or religious background is essential for a good marriage and for establishing a nourishing environment for the children.

With the beautiful addition of eleven grandchildren, our family now fills up the room whenever we gather together, which we do as often as possible. A blessing is said before the meal, and if it is a special occasion or a holiday, Daily Word is read aloud by some of the grandchildren. The magazine is passed from hand to hand, each child reading a paragraph and then the Scripture.

And just as we wanted to believe with regard to our children's listening, Lloyd and I like to think that the grandchildren are listening too.


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