UpNorthica

Last Mother’s Day, I packed my wife in a boat and sent her down the river.

I didn’t buy any presents. There were no flowers or truffles, no pomegranate-clove scented facial scrubs in a gift bag with curlicue paper confetti; not this time. Instead, I launched her and her kayak into a half-day’s worth of solitude and quietude, with only the company of Nature. She loved it.

Thank God, she’s as much a nature freak as I am. In between her teaching, parenting and royal obligations as Queen of our home, her favorite pasttimes often involve her being outdoors and being active.

The trip was full of wildlife and new sights around each unfamiliar bend of the river. And while exploring a sandy shoal after her lunch, she even stumbled upon a beautiful artifact (pictured above)!

Yes, I should add that there were cards and celebrations with the kids. But my wife’s brief respite was a reminder that our outdoors are a true wonder to be cherished as a blessing that we get to live in and among, each day. The chance to escape our ‘normal lives’ to get there, is the gift.