Friday, May 16, 2014

Unsolved Mysteries: Which Ones Stir YOUR Imagination?


Suzie Johnson's newest release, "Sweet Mountain Music" tackles a journalist's desire to prove (or debunk) one of the mysteries of the ages, one that remains unsolved more than a hundred years later—the existence of the Sasquatch.

As a part-time journalist, I understand heroine Chloe's hunger to bring out the truth and expose the lie, and the frustration that comes with a challenging assignment.

The unsolved mystery (anyone remember the Leonard Nimoy "In Search Of" series?) of the Sasquatch, aka Bigfoot, has been circulating for more than a century. Making it one of the "newer" mysteries of unknown beasties in the world. Rumors and legends of terrifying creatures on land and sea have been a part of folklore for as long as people have been telling each other stories, transcending cultures and continents.

wikipedia.org
Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, enjoyed a surge in popularity in the late '60s and early '70s, with the greatest number of sightings in Washington, Oregon, and California.

My own experience with the Sasquatch took place on the shore of a mountain lake in Colorado. We'd been sailing, and anchored along shore to camp for the night. My parents encouraged me to get out of the boat (yes, I needed to be encouraged) to explore the tiny bay.

Imagine my shock and surprise when I came across giant footprints... human-looking, but larger than any normal human. With my overactive imagination it didn't take long to fly into a panic... I knew about Bigfoot, thanks to Mr. Spock's docu-dramas. Eventually my folks 'fessed up... they'd made the footprints in the silty lake's edge for entertainment purposes, and I was the evening's entertainment.

With that behind me, I still don't discount the possibility of the existence of a Sasquatch, or any of the other freaky critters people swear they've seen around the world: Nessie, Chupacabra, Abominable Snowman (Bigfoot's Asian cousin), the Giant Squid, and so on. Who knows... dragons, mermaids, and unicorns sprang forth from somewhere, quite possibly a kernel of truth at some point and place in mankind's lengthy history.

How can I wrap my faith around such implausible ideas? Because I believe in a God whose Son walked on water, raised the dead, turned water into wine, and healed the sick. A God who has the power to create and to destroy. A God who is much, much bigger than my wee little brain can comprehend. Who am I to limit the possibilities of His creation to that which I've seen with my own two eyes? I haven't seen Paris with my own eyes yet, but I still believe it exists!
"'Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.' Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book." John 20:29-31 NIV
Hey, I haven't seen heaven yet, either... 
Just a thought.

Congratulations to our dear Suzie!


QUESTIONS:

Which of the aforementioned creatures  of legend do you think might actually exist, if any?

Has your faith in God ever tripped up your natural senses/knowledge and changed what you believed about something?



Niki Turner is a novelist, journalist, and blogger. Her first completed manuscript earned second place in the Touched By Love 2009 contemporary category romance contest. She writes for local newspapers, and won second place for best agriculture story at the 2013 Colorado Press Association annual convention. She also blogs at www.nikiturner.net and is a co-blogger at www.inkwellinspirations.com. Niki is an active member and volunteer for American Christian Fiction Writers and is involved in establishing an ACFW chapter on Colorado's Western Slope, where she resides. Her debut novelette, “Santiago Sunsets,” will be published as part of White Rose Publishing's Passport to Romance series. Niki's fiction blends the good news of God's love with come-as-you-are characters in stories that encourage and inspire. 





19 comments:

  1. I've always felt there must be something more than mere legend to dragons because they were referenced in widely different places, such as ancient China and Japan and pre-Saxon Britain (King Arthur's father was Uther Pendragon). I think the Chinese dragons don't have wings while the Welsh one does.

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    1. CJ! Interesting theory. I like it!

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    2. Oh fun, C.J.! I didn't know there was a difference between Chinese dragons and Welsh ones. Very interesting!

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  2. I'd like to think all of them exist (with exception of the Chupacabra). Most likely? Probably Sasquatch and his cousin Abominable.

    Like you, I believe most anything is possible and there's a lot out there I haven't seen.

    Fun post!

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    1. Hi Deb! I'm with you on the chupacabra. I don't want to think there are any running around out there.

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    2. Yeah, El Chupacabra is a special kind of nasty. Although dragons and mermaids and ship-devouring giant squid have rather bad reps, as well. :)

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    3. well... I have seen two videos that made me think the Chupacabra existed. ha ha.
      one was a video from a policeman's car as he drove down a desert back road and the beast ran ahead of him on camera. THe other was a video of someone examining the remains of one.

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  3. Thank you, Niki. And thank you for such a fun article. I love it! And yes, I remember In Search Of. It should come as no surprise that I loved it. My husband and I have an ongoing debate: Sasquatch vs Aliens. I ask him constantly, "how can you believe aliens exist, and not Sasquatch?" It's usually a lively debate.

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    1. Ha! I prefer not to think about aliens... that's even scarier to me than dragons! But I can't discount the possibility of their existence either.

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    2. Me, too. Unless they're all like ET. Can you believe I still cry every time I watch that movie?

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    3. It is a weeper, most definitely.

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  4. Great post, Niki! Oh yes, I used to watch In Search Of...

    Wasn't there a video of a Sasquatch sighting a few months' back? I watched it. Very creepy!

    I'm open to the existence of creatures, since scientists discover new species from time to time, and I do think something inspires certain legends (cool note about he dragons, CJ!). I wouldn't be surprised by Nessie, for instance. Which reminds me, did anyone see "The Water Horse" movie? Suzie, I think you'd like it. Deb might too. They're Scottish, after all. The handyman has a nice brogue, lol.

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    1. Susie, I did love The Water Horse. No big surprise, right?

      I did see the Sasquatch show, and I got little shivers down my spine when the baby Sasquatch was staring through the branches. I'm not convinced he was real, however.

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  5. I must check out The Water Horse.
    I haven't seen a lake monster at my house yet and i've been watching. One day when my family was all at my house I saw a small, long head moving quickly across the water. I was staring and everyone started to look. With binoculars we confirmed it was a deer way out in the lake. But -- its head and its wake had me thinking lake monster for a moment! happy ending - some fisherman diverted the swimming deer back to shore.

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    1. Deb, after reading about your lake story, I know you will love The Water Horse. Watch it. Tonight.

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    2. OK, gonna have to watch this one.

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  6. What a fun story, Niki. You've got great parents! :D

    I hate to ever limit what God might or might not make. Goblin sharks? :::shudder::: Some of those strange lighted deep sea creatures? :::more shudder:::

    But fascinating.

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    1. I saw those goblin shark reports. Freaky! And this'd are nothing compared to the microscopic realm!

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  7. I agree, DeAnna. Never limit what God might make, or might have made. But I really hope he didn't make a chupacabra.

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