Kevin Wilkins entered our lives more than three decades ago. He worked with my mother at the newspaper in Craig, in the northwestern part of the state. My older sister Beth, Kevin and I graduated from Moffat County High School in different years. The three of us also attended Union College, a Christian school in Lincoln, Neb.

We were fortunate to welcome Kevin into our family as a brother when he married Beth 30 years ago this month. He was really a part of our family before that and has never ceased to be a brother to Beth’s sisters and son to our parents.

I seldom abide by coincidence. I have been shown too many incidents of providence over my life to believe anything less.

And I firmly believe it was providence that brought Kevin and Beth together.

They lived in the Detroit, Michigan area for the first portion of their married life, as Beth taught school and Kevin began a career in graphic design. He was also involved in PBS programming there.

They later moved to Denver, where they live now, and Beth switched careers to the legal profession. She is a paralegal with a large Denver law firm and volunteers with Wills on Wheels. Kevin works for a graphic design company and enjoys commuting to work on good days on his scooter or more recently motorcycle. (My sister still doesn’t quite fit the “biker babe” image, but I think she has gone on a spin or two.)

They both enjoy participating in a paper doll club and have attended national conventions. They are also big Disney fans, and Kevin’s dream would be to work for Disney in Florida (where of course the rest of us would have to move so we could have lifetime passes to Disneyworld.)

Both Beth and Kevin are artistic people who are generous and compassionate. They are also always planning their next adventure, whether it is to a Disney event or a trip to Taos, like we enjoyed last weekend when they came down to visit me.

Taos has special meaning for them, since it was where they spent their honeymoon. They had not been there recently, so they enjoyed visiting the local shops, taking in the Taos ambience and of course eating at Michael’s. A couple of days later, on their actual 30th anniversary, they took a spa day.

I am glad God brought Kevin into our family, and I am glad he and Beth are such good friends. That friendship, and God’s hand, will guide them through the years ahead.