Last night when I went to bed, I said a little prayer asking for guidance in finding the right people to help us on the river this year. Because our trip was postponed a couple of weeks, we lost our driver, the person who meets us where we put in and picks us up where we get out. So for a couple of weeks I have been searching the web for hints of helpful people. I’ve called churches and marinas. I’ve asked about outfitting stores. Nothing. This morning I went to the computer, googled Athalia, OH, and found one of those listings of all sorts of things in a community, many of which I did not expect Athalia to have as it is a tiny river town and I didn’t see any businesses in it when I google mapped it! But I took a chance and scanning the listings, I went to “community centers” and found the Chesapeake Community Center a few miles down river. I called and was received warmly by two women, the receptionist and the director. Within seconds, the receptionist had volunteered for this unique position. Now, I can’t really say how prayer works. Had I just called enough people that the odds were I would find a helpful person? Did I simply get the right lead this time? Well, perhaps. But when I learned her last name, I knew there was more to it than coincidence. Tiller is her last name! Now, we don’t have a tiller on our canoe (except on those rare occasions when we try to rig a sail and Karen uses a paddle for a tiller), but the boating metaphor was close enough for me. I look forward to meeting the most recent member of our support team!
Paddle With Us 