Celebration

St. Pauls College introduced two young students to each other, as well as the opportunity to make other life long friends. Love blossomed between the two, and led to a stiffling hot August day in seventy-seven, where exchanged vows changed their lives forever.

Gibson Lake taught them the joys of paddling, and Killarney proved that the quickest way to escape a bear was to head out on the water. The Spanish and Missinaibi Rivers tested his love for white water, where she preferred a more sedentary pace. Born of a craftsman’s hands, a cedar strip was given life to ply the waters for generations to come.

Three children learned about the gifts of nature from grandparents on Bellwood Lake, as they paddled, sailed, and fished. Muskoka, Wood, Temagami, and Algonquin Lakes, all drew the family to their shores, and their confidence grew.

The young trio developed the love for canoes, and shared the cedar strip with all who shared their joy. Some day soon grandma and grandpa will frame their own three grandchildren in the vessel they have held so dear, and share with them an appreciation of nature’s senses.

Forty years has blessed them with immeasurable gifts of family and friends, and now they look forward to even more future blessings. They retain the positive memories that they have left in their wake as they paddled life’s waterways, and there is no doubt that they will approach their future with continued celebration.