Harriet and Harold Walker, the matriarch and patriarch of Shadow Valley Family Camp, marked sixty years of marriage this spring. As a result, many of this week’s activities are dedicated to commemorating and celebrating the big event.
The first celebration was an evening cruise on Lake Pend Oreille, compliments of one of Harold’s old friends. The fun began when the skipper turned control of the ship’s wheel over to Alaisyah, age six. She steered us into deep water where the skipper dropped anchor.
Then the kids, ages eleven to fifty plus, shed their inhibitions (but not their clothes) and jumped from the upper deck into the lake as darkness fell. An hour later the skipper cranked up the music and what should have been an uneventful return to shore, morphed into a family version of Friday Night Fever. The younger generation initiated dance moves and the high-spirited older generation followed their lead.
The evening was a rare family treasure. God wrapped our family in starlight, warm breezes and glassy water. For a few brief, eternal hours, we became the people He wants us to be. His deep magic saturated our hearts, and we passed on to the next generations the loving memories Harriet and Harold passed down to us long ago. For one evening, grace rained upon us. We responded to the magic and the blessing in the only way possible.
Joyful and gratefully, our hearts danced.
