Solutions February 2018 | Page 42

The Inspiration Behind the Movie The Stray There have been many times in my life when I was reassured that God knew of my circumstances, my needs, and was there to help, but none quite so dramatic as the night I was hit by lightning and either died or nearly died, depending on how you look at it. I was backpacking in the mountains of Colorado with my son and two friends, all nine 42 Solutions or ten years-old, and our faithful dog, Pluto. It was late afternoon, almost evening, in July and it started to snow. I got worried we might get stuck in some sort of freak blizzard so I pitched our tent, got the boys inside, and started fixing them hot chocolate. That’s the last thing I remember for an extended period of time, because that’s when I took a bolt of lightning to the chest. I don’t remember anything about that moment and only have the boys’ accounts to rely on. They tell me the bolt came through the roof of the tent and hit me directly in the chest. I know this detail to be true because the bolt burned a hole the size of a silver dollar in my undershirt. They say the bulk of the electricity went