“We all have two lives. The second life begins when we realize we have one”--a quote from Confucius. The journey we call life has with it many deviations from the paths in which we attempt to navigate as we traverse through our ages and into our futures. The above mentioned quote may be one which has graced our social media feeds, yet how many of us have crossed into our proverbial ‘second lives’? Calvin Cassady, author of “Bridging The Gap: A Spiritual Journey to Heaven and Back”, has come to this realization in his early adulthood, sharing the journey with the world.
During a trip with his friends, he experienced a near-death experience where the vehicle was consumed in flames. Mr.Cassady was left with a severe injury to the head and a shattered femur. During his trip to the hospital, his heart stopped. Subsequently, he experienced a vision of the afterlife and The Heavenly Father’s promise. In this moment, he was given the choice to either move on, or return to his physical life. While taking note that he had climbed the last precipice and stood at the base of paradise, he came to realize that he couldn’t simply leave a world shrouded in darkness without contributing more ‘light’ to the lives behind him. With that, Calvin Cassady returned to the physical world, and his recovery.
“Bridging the Gap” is an autobiographical retelling of his metaphysical journey to ‘heaven and back’, and the new life he would cultivate upon his return. The book tells a fascinating story, while leaving much to the imagination of the reader. Cassady’s experience was so physically traumatic, his memory of the event itself is not perfect, as the author notes in the book. The ‘Hidden Gems’ are rather found in later chapters, when Cassady’s past experience allows him to become instrumental in cultivating the lives of his students, colleagues, and church family.
The author succeeds in establishing decent pacing. His many years as a youth advocate and storyteller shine through the short, but pleasant read. There are some typos, but not enough to disturb the reader. Educators, and advocates can find much to relate to within the pages of “Bridging the Gap”. Serving the community, is building the community and more often, this work is not one that is accompanied with a pension, or benefits. Community builders are paid rather, spiritually. Calvin Cassady expresses this point while providing the reader with assurances through his own experiences. We can learn much through others’ experiences and there is much to glean from “Bridging the Gap”, a heartfelt story of a community servant and his Heavenly Father. You can find this ‘Hidden Gem’ on display in our bookstore, Hidden Gems Literary Emporium, at 55 B Morris Street in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
We also had the pleasure of interviewing Mr.Cassady about his authorship and experiences!
Please enjoy!
"Bridging the Gap: A Spiritual Journey to Heaven and Back" was published by BookTrail Agency from Kansas City, Missouri.