The theme “Building Bridges” brought to mind the image of bridges in George Lakoff and Mark Johnson’s The Metaphors We Live By. A bridge, in their sense, is not only a structure connecting two separate places, but also a way of closing the distance between minds, emotions, and ideas.

For me, language itself is the most powerful bridge we share. And books – language shaped and preserved – extend that bridge even further. They carry us across time and space, connecting past with present, one culture with another, one generation with the next. They invite us to listen to voices unlike our own, dissolve our prejudices, spark empathy and link individuals who might otherwise remain like isolated islands.

One book I recommend is <Les Iles (Islands)> by Jean Grenier, the French philosopher and teacher of Albert Camus. While quilting already connects us in meaningful ways, reading this beautiful essay allows us to share a lot of emotions and also discover deeper connections with our own inner selves. This book offers another bridge – one woven of joy and sorrow, hope and regret, wonder and tenderness.

Books, in the end, offer another kind of bridge: one that reminds us that we are never truly alone.

– – – (Please forgive the delay in sharing this. Being new, I lost track of my turn and date.)