Day 2 Guest Blog with Darlene Franklin

photo © 2005 Trevor Richter more info (via: Wylio)


Bridge Building

When I think of Vermont, the setting for my book Bridge to Love, two things come to mind: maple sugar and covered bridges. Since Pamela Griffin wrote some wonderful stories about the maple sugar industry in her Vermont Weddings series, I decided to write a set of stories that all have some connection to covered bridges.

Since the first covered bridge wasn't built until the 1800's, in my revolutionary war story Prodigal Patriot, I had Josiah Tuttle and Sally Reid carve their initials into one of the trees in their field. Their son, Calvin, uses lumber from that tree when he builds the first covered bridge in Maple Notch and adds his initials with Beatrice Bailey. During the Civil War, Calvin and Bea's son, Daniel, takes his sweetheart to the kissing bridge and invites her to add their initials to the family tree (Love's Raid, coming out in March 2011).

When we see a covered bridge today, we're tempted to stop and linger a few moments in yesteryear. I have traveled over one of the longest bridges in the world (between Tampa and St. Petersburg) and over the Brooklyn Bridge during my years in college.

But the most important bridge I ever crossed wasn't made of steel girders and wires. No, I crossed the bridge from death to life on the flesh of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

So many bridges remain to be crossed today. So many people need our Savior. So many people need reconciliation. I could go through each of my books and name the bridge to be crossed--the central conflict in the story. In Bridge to Love, a chasm exists between the rich banker's daughter and the poor farmer who loves her.

In my writing--in my life--I long to be an instrument of reconciliation, a bridge-builder, for people around me.

Please share some of the bridge builders who have touched your life!