Sometimes things just happen, and you CAN explain why: it’s because they’re intended to. Agnostics and atheists try their best to explain away these circumstances. But, they can’t. Those of us with Faith know when divine intervention happens. Those without faith simply aren’t prepared to recognize divine circumstances, or they are too married to their perception of life as primordial suffering and explain it away as chance. But, life sure is good here on the other side. Over here, every happening offers an opportunity for a response that puts all of us in line with God’s intention. When these marvelous interventions are life affirming, all feels right with the world.
Such was the case for me on Wednesday, July 21.
Sharon and I decided last Tuesday we were going to find a body of water somewhere for a mid-week paddle. We weren’t sure exactly where. We have been discussing a mid-week paddle for a while in order to take advantage of the long summer days. So, despite the unknowns, we loaded the kayaks Wednesday morning. This was the first time we loaded the boats on a whim without specific plans. Sharon took off to her office, and I mine.
At lunch she ran into a paddling friend of ours who, when seeing the boats on top of the vehicle, said, “Oh, you and Keith must be going to meet Scot at Ratliff Ferry this afternoon.”
My wife’s response was simple enough, “Who?”
You see until Wednesday afternoon, we had never heard of, yet alone spoken with, Scot Thigpen. But because of divine providence, within two hours he, Sharon and I, along with six of Scot’s paddling partners, lovingly referred to by Scot as the “River Rats,” were on our way for a sunset cruise on the Pearl River. Had the circumstances stopped there it would have been fortuitous enough, but there was more for me to learn.
It turns out that Scot wrote a book called Chasing Solomon. It is a book about his faith, a book inspired by his grandmother’s exemplary life which steered him towards a path of redemption when he began re-examining his life in his late 30’s.
Any of that sound familiar? If you’ve read any of this website before now it should.
Scot joked that he and I may have been separated at birth. His story and my story very closely parallel. Our grandmother’s examples helped shape both of our lives in such a way that led to new perspectives for us. We both love the water and believe the outdoors is a gift from God. And, we both have been led by faith to rediscover the importance of the legacy we are called to carry forward.
Our group of paddlers launched from Ratliff Ferry and paddled the eight miles to Highway 43 on the north end of the Ross Barnett Reservoir. It was a beautiful trip. We saw alligators, plenty of birds, flowering lilies, and a sunset that only the pictures can hope to represent. We talked about our love of paddling, how the paddling bug bit each of us, and we traded adventure stories and paddling techniques. But, eight miles and three hours aren’t nearly enough time to catch up with someone you were destined to meet, let alone separated from at birth. So, we still have some catching up to do.
You can check out Scot’s passion at the Chasing Solomon website
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