June 18 and 19

Nelson BC is a beautiful town nestled on a mountainside at the west end of Kootenay Lake. Perched on the edge of the Selkirk mountains, it is scenic and welcoming. Nelson is coping well with the pandemic. Much better than its little neighbour Rossland. I had a very productive day and drove thirty minutes east to the village of Winlaw. As I went up the Slocan Valley I drove into the past.

My brother Lucas lives in simplicity on a few acres in the woods. He has a lovely family of three young children with his wife Katelin. There is a lot of love in his home. A lot of chaos as well, three kids can do that. Life in the Slocan Valley is very much a sense of time travel. There is no cell service and Lucas has no internet. I envy the simplicity, yet I find it difficult to function. Coronavirus has barely touched his life, yet he has stayed home with the kids since it began. Tomorrow is going to be his first day of work in 3 months.

The love in the home that my brother and his wife have created is simple and all-encompassing. His kids come first, before work, before money, before anything. His chaos and disorder are equally all-encompassing. He never passes up a chance at free stuff and is reticent to throw anything away; even his recycling. Living with so much stuff must be overwhelming, yet he is happy in his hidden home in the forests of the Slocan Valley. His story is so much more than can be told in a few words. A story to be told when he is ready I am certain.

Off the grid, I continued to connect with my brother and his family. The next day we returned to Nelson.

Lukas and I finished our day of working in Nelson and came home to a lovely meal prepared by his wife. It was one of the longest days of the year, a perfect evening to go for a paddle on the Slocan River. We walked down to where he had the canoe stored; it looked like for much of the year it was in a part of someone’s field. That night the river was very high and the surrounding flood plain was inundated with water. I had not been in a canoe in years, it all came back and I remembered how to use a paddle.

We started up the channel and my brother turned the front of the canoe into the grass. Tall grass waved over our heads, I thought for sure we would bottom out and have to walk. We glided effortlessly through the watery field. It was spooky not seeing where we would end up; Luke knew where he was going. I did not.

It was an adventure, my pulse increased and I grinned like the kid I felt I was inside. I was the big brother and here my little brother was sharing his joy. It felt like a special form of energy was flowing in the boat. In the surrounding grass, the water continued and I enjoyed the exploration of the moment. Suddenly we popped out into an open channel. The water was still and glassy, the ripple from our passing flowed forward and announced our presence in our reflection.

Our journey was just beginning. My Bro started his safety speech, we were wearing life jackets but a canoe can tip if we are out of balance; hypothermia can kill. We missed all those years growing up yet I felt a connection with my brother, I felt proud. He was in his element. The river was so high that the flow is only strong in the middle. The current waiting, uncaring, ready to sweep away the unsuspecting or unprepared. We paddled up the river, together in rhythm, connected. We passed the mouth of another channel and turned our boat.

We watched for the sun to set in the reflection of the waters that filled the oxbows beside the main river. My being felt released gliding across the peaceful water. The ripple we created slowly disappeared and the glass surface returned to its undisturbed state. Absorbed in silence we felt the peace around us. A silence so perfect it was in tune with the calls of the birds and the distant murmur of the flowing river. There were no human sounds to disturb the seconds as I breathed in the moment. The connection and the purity was something I held onto. I stored the feeling inside to call upon in moments of doubt or fear. The sun dropped beyond the mountains that enclosed the valley and the surrounding water. The vanishing disc glowed briefly, the sky lit up and we absorbed the fleeting reflections of red and pink. Then the moment was gone and we gently drifted back into the rushing river.

As we steered our craft downstream we passed a log and a spinning rapid. Lucas pointed to a spot beside the log. “That’s where they found Dave.” Dave was his friend and neighbour. He was found drowned in that spot only a couple days before.

I felt a sober appreciation for the water flowing beneath our canoe. The water, peaceful, strong and powerful is to be respected. All the elements in the world have the power to give and to take away. I gained a deep respect for the river, awed by the power; the power that took a life. In life, we are all only a sudden movement or a twist of fate from our own mortality. I embraced my good fortune; I was on a stunning river floating in peace with my brother. It felt like a great gift.

I have received a gift to take with me for my life, a gift of love. Love for the natural beauty of our world, love for my brother, and the peace he strives for in his world.