The recent post sharing the story of Jon the Pastor brought yet another story from Dave, our Executive Director of the Rock of Ages Preservation Society, responsible for developing each season’s project plans. He had just returned after 18 days on station when I shared the surprise of all that I learned about Jon and his many stories while he stayed with me in the cabin.
"Did he tell you about the electricians?" Dave asked.
The old wiring in the lighthouse has been disconnected from anything since the light was automated in the late 1970s. At that time, the coast guard removed all equipment and much of the infrastructure, leaving the wires that remained bare and in a jumble. During the week Pastor Jon worked on the lighthouse, Dave confided to Jon that he hoped to someday find an electrician willing to take on the lighthouse rewiring—a job few professionals might find appealing, worried Dave, given the site's remoteness and harsh conditions. Dave looked at Jon with a smile and said, “Maybe you can help in that department?”
Jon gave a wink, saying, “We’ll see what we can do. I’ll pray for it - you never know.”
The next day, a boat ventured onto the unsafe lighthouse dock in calm conditions, its passengers hoping for a tour. In the course of the conversation, Jon asked the visitors where they were from and what they did for a living. It turned out that both of them were licensed electricians.
Jon turned to Dave with a raised eyebrow and gave a wink. Dave smiled back at the remarkable coincidence.
Later in the week, an Isle Royale Park Ranger and his Park Electrician associate paid an unannounced visit, also for a personal tour. Again, Jon glanced and winked.
Now the coincidence had to start weighing on Dave. He described to the electrician his hopes for rewiring the lighthouse, identifying the particular circuits he hoped to electrify. With each stop, the electrician became more and more excited at the prospect.
“Oh, I think that could be done rather easily. I could come out sometime to work on it, as my time on this end of the island would allow. That would be fun.”
Another glance, another smile, and another wink.
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