In 2003 I met the man who made this journey possible. I don't remember the exact month, but I do remember where. Katrina was pregnant and being first time parents, we attended Lamaze class. It just so happened that Jamie and Misty Ratchford were in our class. I kind of remember them sitting by us a few times, but other than that I don't think we ever spoke to them. Kolsten was born before the class ended, so we missed the last few classes. Had it not been for the wives, I don't think our friendship with Ratchfords would have panned out.
After I found out Jamie was a firefighter for the City of Chattanooga, my interest in becoming a firefighter sparked back up. I started obsessing about it. I went to the library and read books on how to train for tests. I started riding my bike long distances. I ran the track next door to work. I even got my old climbing gear out of the attic to practice tying knots (like that was going to get me in). I was determined to get in, and I thought (at the time) that Jamie could somehow help me, even though I lived in Georgia. He and I even kind of talked about it. He didn't know how serious I was, and then Katrina announced that she was ready to leave and head back home...to Illinois...
So instead of aiding me in my quest to become a firefighter, Jamie (and Jimmy...another big player in my journey) helped me pack the moving van, and the family and I moved to Missouri.
It's then that I thought, this may never work. But little did I know that God was planning this whole thing out. And what he had planned next, was exactly what I needed.....
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1 comment:
That Jimmy guy sounds interesting.
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