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Speaker 1: Hello, friends, Welcome to Story Behind podcast. This is the

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Speaker 1: show for people who love hearing a good story and

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Speaker 1: who believe the world could use more positivity. We're the

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Speaker 1: team behind God Updates and God Too, and we hope

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Speaker 1: these weekly short stories will brighten your day.

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Speaker 2: One Dad's backyard ice rink turns cold weather into community

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Speaker 2: connection written by MICHAELA. Gordoni, read by Julie Provost. One

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Speaker 2: father in Marilyn thought he'd tackle kids winter Bordon with

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Speaker 2: a special idea. The dad built an ice rink in

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Speaker 2: his backyard for his three daughters. But it's not just

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Speaker 2: his daughters who loved it, the whole neighborhood does. Justin

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Speaker 2: Roff decided to take advantage of the winter storm that

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Speaker 2: covered half of America this year, and everyone is glad

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Speaker 2: he did. Once Justin's neighbors got winged of the little

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Speaker 2: ice rink, they couldn't get enough. I knew something was

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Speaker 2: up Christmas morning, his wife Christine said, I saw a

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Speaker 2: pair of kids skates under the tree that I knew

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Speaker 2: nothing about. I knew something was cooking. Rufe is a

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Speaker 2: roofer who grew up playing hockey. He always wanted a

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Speaker 2: backyard ice rink and seen people make their own in

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Speaker 2: northern States. I'm not sure how we did it. One

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Speaker 2: neighbor said. We were very lucky to just have the

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Speaker 2: community here, to have someone that spent the time to

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Speaker 2: build this. It's just really special. News clips show the

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Speaker 2: ice rink crowded with kids and adults. They all had

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Speaker 2: a blast. I'm kind of amazed, said one team. Never

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Speaker 2: did I dream Annapolis, Maryland would be possible, Christine laughed.

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Speaker 2: But Justin made it possible thanks to some YouTube videos

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Speaker 2: and work equipment. It's pretty magical, Christine said of the

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Speaker 2: neighborhood enjoying the rink. I think everyone's going to be

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Speaker 2: ordering skates after this. It's definitely a social atmosphere. Dressin said,

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Speaker 2: we're making the best of the weather right now. This

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Speaker 2: is clearly the most fun neighborhood in all of Anna

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Speaker 2: Russell County, said one woman, And she's right. It's wonderful

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Speaker 2: that everyone wants to come together like this and enjoy

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Speaker 2: some winter fun. It s these kind of stories that

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Speaker 2: bring warmth to our hearts on cold days. When his

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Speaker 2: family was swept out to see this, thirteen year old

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Speaker 2: swam for four hours to save them. Written by head

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Speaker 2: the riggleman read budgily provost. When his family was swept

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Speaker 2: out to see this, thirteen year old swam for four

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Speaker 2: hours to save them. How he didn't panic and how

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Speaker 2: he kept going The good Lord only knows. Sometimes courage

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Speaker 2: doesn't look loud or groan or certain. Sometimes it looks

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Speaker 2: like a thirteen year old boy alone in the water,

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Speaker 2: choosing bravery over fear, again and again with every stroke.

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Speaker 2: He began as a simple day at sea, a mother

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Speaker 2: and her three children kayaking and paddleboarding off the coast

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Speaker 2: of Western Australia, laughter carried by the breeze. Then the

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Speaker 2: water changed, the current pulled harder than expected, the light

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Speaker 2: began to fade. What was calm turned dangerous in moments.

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Speaker 2: As the family was swept farther out to see the

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Speaker 2: boy realized someone had to go get help. He tried

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Speaker 2: paddling back, but his kayak filled with water. There was

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Speaker 2: no good options, only brave ones, so he slipped into

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Speaker 2: the ocean and started swimming towards shore. Hours passed. The

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Speaker 2: water was cold, the waves were relentless. For the first

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Speaker 2: two hours he swam wearing a life jacket. When exhaustion

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Speaker 2: set in and he realized it was slowing him down.

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Speaker 2: He made another impossible decision and let it go. He

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Speaker 2: kept swimming anyway, four hours, mile after mile, stroke after stroke,

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Speaker 2: not knowing if he'd make it, only knowing his mom

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Speaker 2: and siblings needed him to try. When he finally reached land,

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Speaker 2: he didn't collapse in relief. He ran for help. He

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Speaker 2: told rescuers exactly what his family had been using, what

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Speaker 2: colors to look for, and where they might be drifting.

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Speaker 2: Because of his clarity and courage, rescue teams found his mother, brother,

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Speaker 2: and sister within an hour. Out on the water. His

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Speaker 2: mom had been holding it together the only way a

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Speaker 2: mother can achoring her children to a paddle board, locking

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Speaker 2: eyes with them, refusing to let go even as their

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Speaker 2: strength faded. Love held them there until help arrived. Rescuers

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Speaker 2: called the boy's efforts extraordinary, superhuman, But maybe it was

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Speaker 2: something simpler and holier than that. It was couraged or

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Speaker 2: refused to quit, with faith that kept swimming and a

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Speaker 2: young heart that rose when it mattered most, And because

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Speaker 2: of it, a family went home together. So do not fear,

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Speaker 2: for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for

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Speaker 2: I'm your God. I will strengthen you and help you.

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Speaker 2: I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah

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Speaker 2: forty one ten.

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Speaker 1: Thank you so much for listening to Story Behind podcast.

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Speaker 1: We're really glad you joined us for this week's story.

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Speaker 1: To see photos and videos that may have been referenced

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Speaker 1: in this episode, check out the links and the show notes,

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Speaker 1: and if you enjoyed what you heard today, subscribe to

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Speaker 1: our podcast and please tell a friend about us. We'd

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Speaker 1: Story Behind is a Salem Web Network production.