Rainbows, Sunsets, and Destiny?

So today was probably my first legitimate adventure this summer. It all started when I came out of Family Home Evening and it was raining lightly and I spied a perfect rainbow right over the temple. Then I felt a sudden desire to expand my horizons as a photographer and quickly and most illegally sped home to retrieve my camera. Upon arriving home I picked up a stowaway (Tanner) and headed towards the Perrine Bridge. 

This is my view on the way over . . . and this is the Perrine Bridge.

Tanner and I then proceeded to be inspired by anything as you can see from our pictures of fluffy clouds and swaying prairie grass.

This statue is called The Twins and with the lighting, I thought they were looking exceptionally lovely.

After our inspirational session, Tanner and I decided to delve into the past and recreate history . . . I'm sure this is accurate enough but in all honesty, I just like sepia. :)

So I've heard that Arizona sunsets are the best but seeing as I've never seen one I feel as though Idaho sunsets come in at least a very close second.

 

You may put your fears to rest as to the accuracy of the Snake River's name, it really does serpentine.

And just to remain true to form, Tanner and I became Captains, Gangsters, and Superheroes all during our one visit to the Perrine Bridge.

 P.S. Tanner and I are both scared of heights though I have overcome that fear to a degree from frequent repelling experiences.

P.P.S. When Semi Trucks cross the bridge it literally shakes and shudders from the weights and impact. Kind of nerve-wracking and let's add 40-mile-an-hour winds . . . quite the experience.

So a quick switch to a more serious tone, I think the best part of my adventure today was not all the fun Tanner and I had or the pictures we got to take, but rather the fact that we might have crossed paths with destiny. It was about 8:30 and we were going to head home but as we were walking under the bridge we overheard a man threatening to commit suicide to whoever was on the other end. He was dressed in tan wranglers, working boots, and a tan leather jacket. He also had a bike, a helmet, and rope. Not knowing exactly what to do I gently interrupted his conversation and asked him if he was alright. We then proceeded to talk for the next thirty minutes about the troubles in his life and my thoughts on the matter. Interestingly one of the first things he said to me was, "You're a Mormon aren't you?" When I replied yes he stated that he used to be a Mormon but was no longer welcome. With that, I began sharing the situation-specific testimony I've ever given. As follows, 

I believe that this church is a church or hospital for the spiritually broken, not for perfected saints. We are all here because we recognize our desperate need for the Savior and his saving atonement and grace. 

With this said I invited him to come to my college ward if he would feel comfortable or FHE if that seemed less unnerving. I then proceeded to explain to him why I felt his life was worth living. He had mentioned that he had seizures all the time which I could relate to since I had two seizures my junior year. Upon hearing that I'd also dealt with seizures he seemed to open up to what I had to say perhaps he felt as though I might truly understand him. I told him that we have been sent here for this time at this day because we have a purpose and a mission that no one else could do the way we can. Life is hard as I'm sure everyone knows first hand. We are surrounded by filth and hardship, but we are also surrounded by beauty and opportunity. It all depends on what we choose to focus on and take advantage of. I do not believe committing suicide it a one-way ticket to Hell (he said that I would believe this since I was a Mormon). I believe the Father will welcome us, his children, whenever we come home, but let us not assume our time is up and expedite our return while we still have work to do. No matter the difficulty, no matter the struggle, I firmly believe that it's the little things that make life worth living. Life is made up of moments when you take pictures of sunsets with a little brother or catch sight of a double rainbow. And that even though I was a random stranger who he'd never met and would probably never meet again I wanted him to remember that life was always worth living. 

After our discussion had ended he gave me his number with a request that I call him to make sure he'd made it home. This I did and was pleasantly surprised to hear him say that he might take me up on the offer to come to church the next Sunday.

Destiny has always seemed like a rather cliche topic to me. I've always believed in the idea of fore-ordination, or even serendipitous occurrence but destiny? The idea that I might have been meant to stumble across a 24-year-old guy and have experienced certain things in my life so that I could connect to him in a way that enabled me to stop him from adding his name to the countless others who throw themselves off the Perrine Bridge every year. Well, my mind is blown. All I know is that as Tanner and I walked back to our car we felt complete. I can't say if it was serendipity, subconscious spiritual revelation, or destiny but helping another by being in the right place at the right time is an experience I won't soon forget.

-Natalie Cherie