We returned to civilization that evening, and I have to say that the Dairy Queen burger that I ordered that evening was absolutely fantastic. But, as we headed back down the highway towards Minneapolis, I realized that I was not the same person as the one who had driven north on these same roads five days before. The Lord had used the Boundary Waters trip to increase my faith, strengthen me as a person, and teach me what it meant to be a man. The trip also strengthened my relationships with everyone who had gone along with me.

There was still another important thing I had to do. I wanted to give Grandpa a special keepsake to thank him for his investment in us. He had made this incredible experience possible. I took one of the paddles I had purchased at the gift shop in Grand Marais, and snuck it over to Mike and Becky's house one day. We all thought of a special message to write to Grandpa, and using a permanent marker, inscribed it on the paddle. Our family went up to Grandpa's cabin a few days later, and I secretly packed the paddle in the back seat of the car. Jared was also at the cabin, so he wrote a message and signed his name as well.

All of our family was sitting around the breakfast table at the cabin a few days later. After we had finished eating, I walked over to the bunk house and retrieved the paddle. As we sat around the breakfast table, I read aloud an essay by Sigurd Olson on paddling a canoe. When I had finished, I looked directly at Grandpa.

"Grandpa, we can never thank you enough for the investment that you made in all of us," I stated. "Each of us encountered the wilderness differently, and I'm sure we all could talk of the ways that our experiences impacted us, strengthened our character, and drew us closer to God. We wanted to give you a little present to show our appreciation for the wonderful time we all had." At this, I handed him the paddle. "Oh, my gosh!" Grandpa said. "When did you do this?" "I had it hidden at Mike and Becky's, and we all wrote our messages on it after we had been home for a few days," I replied. "This is really neat," he said. "What a great gift!" He tried to read the messages, but had a hard time making them out. "Get your glasses on, Tommy," Grandma said from the other end of the table. We all laughed. Grandpa put on his glasses and read all of our messages aloud.

"Listen to this great line on the handle: 'Such sights as this are reserved for those who are willing to suffer to behold them.' That's Jared's quote, right?" "Correct," I said. "Man, is that ever appropriate! And here's Mike's message: 'I am thankful our family experienced Growing Inside Outside. Thanks for the memories.' Thank you, Mike, for coming along! What does this say? 'This Boundary Waters trip was quite an experience! I grew in strength and in character. I love you! Rachel.' That's a great message, Rachel! Here's Jesse's message: 'I had a great time! I love you! Jesse.' I'm glad you had a good time, Jesse. Would you do it again?" "Yeah!" Jesse replied with a huge smile on his face. "Jared wrote this: 'It's about all the memories........and I have many of them! Thanks Tom!' Ryan said, 'Thanks for a fun trip, Grandpa!' Amy said: ' I had fun being your paddling buddy! Love, Amy.' I loved being your paddling buddy too, Amy," Grandpa read, his smile growing wider as he saw each new note. We all watched him with big smiles on our own faces as he continued to read. "Joseph, you wrote: 'I had the time of my life! I am so grateful to God that He allowed us to share this experience together. I love you!' Becky, you nailed it with your message. 'The title of your book is so true. God used this experience to grow us inside, outside. :) Thanks for the good memories! I love you!' I don't know what to say, you guys. Thank you so much for this fantastic paddle and for your encouraging notes! It was my pleasure to bring you all with me." As we all dispersed to our various activities, Grandpa sat down on the couch, still reading the messages we had written. "I love this paddle, Joe," Grandpa said. "It's the least we could do, Grandpa. You made this incredible investment in us, and I wanted to make sure you knew how much we appreciate it." "I'm going to have it put in my coffin with me," he joked. I knew he was just joking, but this comment did tell me how much he appreciated the gift we had given him.

Back at home, Grandpa hung the paddle near his desk where he could see it every day. I hope he knows that the trip he made possible had a profound impact on all of our lives. None of us will ever forget it. I am grateful that we were able to bless and honor Grandpa in this special way.