March 10,17,24,31  2026

What if...
Dividing people into “us vs. them” isn't the only way. What if we acknowledged, instead, that we all are on a shared journey? Come and hear stories, share stories, and rediscover the goodness and love that is inside every human being. Four Tuesdays for 1 1/2 hours on March 10,17,24,31 at Trinity Cathedral in Easton. Come for any, or for all. Call Maggie at (410) 822-1931 to register.

                 Here's a brief promo: 






           
           Video preamble to Session 1
                                                        
             





                       Comments and reflections from the Stations (sessions) 

      Session 1 (New Birth): One participant shared, "It was great to hear each person's story and get to know each other in a deeper sense." Others commented on the peace they found in the guided meditations' silence and the sense of connection experienced during the closing exercise. 

     Session 2 (Lost One): We spent more time in silence. This took us to a deeper place. In the groups people spoke of ways they still felt a connection to people who had died. One participant shared this poignant and powerful information: 

Here are links for all three pieces of media for the "Phone of the Wind", along with provided descriptions and/or my comments.

This American Life's episode #597, "One More Thing Before I Go" (2016), had a First Act titled "Really Long Distance", whose caption may serve to introduce the concept for sharing purposes: "Producer Miki Meek tells the story of a phone booth in Japan that attracts thousands of people who lost loved ones in the 2011 tsunami and earthquake. A Japanese TV crew from NHK Sendai filmed people inside the phone booth, whose phone is not connected to anything at all. (22 minutes)"

This was my introduction to the "Phone of the Wind", and this presentation is haunting and heartmelting -- exemplary of "driveway radio". Though it is derivative of the original NHK documentary, it is worth auditioning as a companion piece because of the skill with which Producer Miki Meek describes the encounters while providing background on language, religion, and ritual that are assumed by NHK of its original target audience.

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/597/one-last-thing-before-i-go-2016/act-one-0

                                                           ****
NHK World's original Documentary 360 episode, "The Phone of the Wind: Whispers to Lost Families" (2016). The description, from the website, reads:

"Hello. If you're out there, please listen to me." On a hill overlooking the ocean in Otsuchi Town in northeastern Japan is a phone booth known as the "Telephone of the Wind." It is connected to nowhere, but people come to "call" family members lost during the tsunami of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Many visit the phone booth including a mother and 3 children who have lost their father. This documentary looks at the unique role that this phone is playing in helping the grieving process of many. Awards: Grand Prix, 36th International URTI Grand Prix for Author's Documentary (2017) Highly Commended, 21st Asian Television Awards (2016).

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/4001232/
                        
                                                          ***
NHK World's sequel Documentary 360 episode, "The Wind Phone: From Japan to the World" (2026). The description, from the website, reads:

"Originating in Japan, the phenomenon of wind phones has now spread worldwide. These special phones, which aren't connected to a telephone line, have the power to connect people with lost loved ones."

This documentary quotes both the original (2016) NHK documentary and the This American Life segment. But it adds the perspective of the intervening years with interviews of the installer of the first wind phone, follow-up visits by people from the first documentary, and people in other countries who have installed wind phones. According to the directory profiled in the 2nd half, there are two wind phones in Maryland (e.g., Savage, and Prince Frederick), and none in Delaware.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/4001493/

                    Check back on this page to see information
                         and comments from the last 2 sessions,