Karen Hulene Bartell

Yes, and here’s the scene from Wild Rose Pass that expresses it…

“Who knows the real reasons we do things?” His mind honed the idea as they waltzed across the makeshift dancefloor. “We think we’re the ones skipping stones across the water, but after we see the ripples of our actions, we realize we were just the stones…not the skippers.”

“I don’t follow.” Squinting, she watched him. “Give me an example.”

“For instance”—he recalled their first outings—“we thought we were helping the Rodriguez family when we brought them supplies. But if we hadn’t lent them a hand, we might never have gotten to know each other.”

“So actually, we helped ourselves.” She nodded.

“And if James hadn’t been so insufferable that day in the trading post, I might not have ridden off in a huff, and you and I might never have gotten together.”

“Exactly. We may think we’re doing things for our own reasons, but I bet we’re all just part of a larger divine plan. We’re not the skippers. We’re the stones being skipped.” As the music ended, he drew a deep breath. “We don’t know the parts we play in people’s lives until after we see the ripples of our actions.”

“So what does your theory have to do with James?” She slowly let go his shoulder as they waited for the next dance.

“His ‘ripples’ affected us just as much as ours affected him. If we’re all just stones making waves that move each other”—he lifted his brow—“maybe we shouldn’t be too quick to judge.”