O Canada, His Canada

I can remember being 10 when my Dad turned 35. My sister and I made a big deal that he was old enough to be the President; he seemed ancient to us :) My husband just turned 35 on Wednesday... it doesn't seem so old anymore.

But even though Adrian is old enough now, there is no way he's ever going to be a U.S. President (thankfully!). He is Canadian born.

He entered the world in a log cabin in the Canadian wilderness somewhere in Ontario. The third son born to his mother, he put a hurtin' on her with something close to 40 hours of labor! She is a seriously tough woman; after Adrian's arrival they returned to Delaware where she gave birth to five more babies.

Happy Birthday, Daddy

His parents were born and raised in Delaware, but they moved north just after getting married and have some incredible stories from the seven years they lived on a Canadian trap line with a small community of devout Christians.

I think being born in the wilderness, gave Adrian a love for it. He returned to Canada for college and gained a deep appreciation for this largely untamed land. His older brother did make his long-term home there in British Columbia with a special woman from the Yukon.

In 2007, the year before Adria was born, I had the chance to experience Canada with my husband. We took an impromptu road trip across the northern U.S., driving over 2,800 miles from Delaware to Washington state in just four days! We drove up into beautiful British Columbia and visited with his brother's family, then returned by way of Banff and Jasper National Parks in Alberta. Spectacular! It is known as one of the most beautiful drives in the world, and you really do have to see it to believe it. The snow-capped mountains, glaciers, and turquoise blue lakes stretched for miles in a stunning display of God's handiwork. I have lots of pictures if you ever want to see them.

After experiencing the splendor for myself, I could better understand his love for that land. I'm not sure that I could ever develop thick enough skin to withstand their winters, but the beauty takes your breath away. We had seen many interesting things across the miles of America, but nothing compared to what we saw in Canada.

I share all this because it's something so important to Adrian but often gets lost and forgotten in the day to day hum-drum of life. When better to reflect on the place of his birth than his birthday!

The words from the first few lines of the Canadian national anthem are quite true:

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada