"The Bridge That God Built"

We stumbled upon this beautiful piece of Americana today on our way back from the coast. This is the Drift Creek Bridge, which is not only beautiful to look at, but has a miraculous little story behind it. When you visit the bridge, you're asked to only walk across it, and inside you'll find a guest book you can sign and a one-page printout of the story behind the bridge. It is a faith-filled, heartwarming story that gave us goosebumps when we read it. I was tempted to type up the whole thing (and I'd be willing to do so and e-mail it to anyone interested), but the basic gist is that this bridge was to be torn down back in 1997, but a couple, the parents of five young children at the time, both received a prompting in the middle of the night to "check the measurements" of the concrete bridge they had just built on the property where they would soon build a home. When they were both awakened by the same prompting, they racked their brains trying to figure out what it meant. When they put the pieces together that their bridge might be the answer to saving the historic Drift Creek Bridge, they acted immediately and requested a hearing to stop the Drift Creek bridge demolition, which was already in its beginning stages. At the hearing, the couple suggested that, at their own cost and expecting nothing in return, they would relocate the bridge to their property so that the public could continue to enjoy the rich piece of history. At that point the wife, who authored the story, said that miracle after miracle occurred so they could secure the remains of the bridge and then restore it. But they had enormous hardships along the way, and at one point wanted to give up altogether. But again, miracles took place to keep them going, including having a local lumber company contact them in person about needing to log the area around their home -- which provided the couple with the specified wood they would need to rebuild the framework of the bridge. Another miracle included receiving a 1999 calendar in the mail in October of that year (a little late in the year to be receiving a "new" calendar) from a life insurance provider through whom the couple didn' t even have insurance. The woman broke down into tears when the picture for October -- the month she received the calendar -- was the Drift Creek Bridge, the one that at that time was strewn about in pieces in her yard. Such divine interventions inspired the couple to press forward and make their dream a reality, despite the toll it was taking on them, their marriage, and their family. When all the pieces came together -- literally -- the bridge you see in the pictures above, was the result. And according to the woman who wrote the story, every time she sees it (they live in a beautiful home just on the other side of the bridge), she sees "the bridge that God built."

Today was one of those days I'm so happy we took the turnoff we've always meant to take and found this golden piece of history and a story that I will forever love.