Couple sets up disconnected phone in Joshua Tree to help people grieve
Back in 2019, Colin Campbell and Gail Lerner were heading to Joshua Tree with their two children when a drunk driver hit their car at 90 mph.
Their children, 17-year-old Ruby and 14-year-old Hart, died in the collision.
"I carry that pain so sharply every day," Lerner said.
Six years later, the couple has built and installed a disconnected rotary phone in the wilderness on their Joshua Tree property, allowing them to stay connected with their kids.
"I'm not hearing them, but I feel like my words are getting to them," Lerner said. "There's something about the privacy of the desert that literally goes out on the wind."
The concept is modeled after Japanese artist Itaru Sasaki's "wind phone," which he built to stay connected with his deceased cousin.
Since then, replicas of wind phones have popped up all over the world. Hundreds of people have visited the couple's installation in the Joshua Tree desert.
"It's much bigger than we even imagined," Campbell said. "Hundreds of people have gone there already."
The couple's wind phone has gained so much popularity that its coordinates appear on Google Maps. Many have left behind written comments.
"Now, we have five notebooks, six notebooks, full of entries," Lerner said. "It helps us, knowing that other people are getting to express their grief. It feels significant that Ruby and Hart are helping in the world.
Campbell has Ruby's artwork tattooed on his arms, and Lerner has their children's names on her wrists.
"It's a reminder to me that they are always on my mind," Lerner said.
The couple has foster-adopted two teenagers. Campbell has also written a book called "Finding the Words" to help others deal with grief.
Even though they are moving ahead with their lives, the wind phone keeps them connected, even though there's no voice on the other end.
"I think it helps grievers bring their loved ones along with them on their journey," Campbell said. "Ruby and Heart died almost 6.5 years ago. I feel like they've been with me in a sense. I've gotten to share my journey with them."