My Address is a River: A Place to Belong, Closer to Home

by Chris Highland

For nearly thirty years Chris Highland sauntered the rivers and streams of poverty and homelessness as an interfaith chaplain, teacher, shelter director and housing manager. His "practice of presence" among people who find themselves stuck on the muddy banks or in the swirling eddies of financial, housing or mental insecurity revealed something surprising. He discovered gifted ability among those who have disabilities, the meaning of freedom among incarcerated people and a profound sense of home among houseless women, men, youth and children. "Chaplain Chris," as he was affectionately known in the jails and on the streets, faced fear locked into maximum security units of a county jail, faced his own limitations teaching and being taught by persons with broken brains, faced his own need for shelter and attachment to possessions by walking the streets, sharing meals and creating art with good human beings who often possess nothing but what they carry on their backs, and bear in their hearts and minds. He has seen the pained face of America reflected in the churning rivers of humanity and comes away with stones of truth and driftwood of insight. My Address is a River is a testimony to the courage and wisdom of society's castaways, neighbors without addresses who are often pushed out of cities, communities and congregations to seek islands of refuge for shelter, stability and sanity. The seventy meditations, reflections and stories contained in these pages are gleaned from the hardcore pavement, steel and cement where this "keeper of the roofless chapel" has been present for hidden but not entirely helpless or hopeless people. Each selection is paralleled by a teaching from a spiritual, poetic or literary source. Enhanced with the author's vivid, black and white photographs of natural waterways, this collection will inspire communities to re-vision and re-open more doors and minds, to create more channels for compassionate action in other towns, on other streets, by other rivers.

206 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 3, 2010

About the author

Author of Broken Bridges (2020), A Freethinker's Gospel (2018) as well as six natural meditation books beginning with Meditations of John Muir (2001); also Life After Faith (2010), My Address is a River (2010), the novel Jesus and John Muir (2010), Nature is Enough (2013) and other web-published works including poetry, essays and a childrens' book.

A former minister and chaplain in the SF Bay Area, he is now a freethinking humanist celebrant who teaches and writes in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

Chris writes the weekly "Highland Views" column for the Citizen-Times and blogs at www.chighland.com.