Keen and Bright

So what’s in a name we ask? Sometimes a name brings life to an object, such as Pleasant Valley or Savage River. Sometimes the magnitude or pristine beauty of the object can make a boring name exciting such as Mt. Everest or the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Sometimes names have meaning and sometimes we just pick a name because we like it.

So how did we come up with the name Keen and Bright? Well, here’s the story.

When I was a kid in school, way back when, we often sang songs and learned to sing in rounds and all of that fun stuff. One song that we sang was “My paddle’s keen and bright, flashing with silver”. It is an old Canadian folk song. Over the years of paddling, I often thought of and sometimes sang this song.

Several years ago, Jenelle and the kids and I were on a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters. We often have some sort prayer or a song of Thanksgiving when we gather for our dinner. On this particular trip we took the song and added our own verse of thanksgiving. It goes like this;

My paddle’s keen and bright,

flashing with silver,

follow the wild goose flight,

dip, dip, and swing.

Thank you our Father God,

for all your blessings,

they are so bountiful,

dip, dip, and swing.

The song stuck and became a part of our family. We often sing it on a lazy Sunday morning when we are making pancakes and sausage, the kids starting out and Jenelle and I following, making a round with it.

So that’s where we got the name Keen and Bright. You probably wondered. Not only does the name have a special place in our hearts, but hopefully it can become a name of inspiration to you as you traverse down that winding path of life.

At Boundary Waters, Minnesota