Thirty-Four Years of Thanks
In my gradual adjustment to a new reality outside the orbit of Walking Adventure International, I realized earlier this week that, after 34 years, this will be my last Thanksgiving as owner of WAI. The past few months have offered countless opportunities to reflect on the many WAI-related blessings for which I am deeply thankful.
Here’s a short Thanksgiving weekend list.
I’m grateful that my Dad, George Friesen, grew up in a multi-lingual, multi-cultural family (Canadian Mennonite immigrated in the 19th century from Holland by way of Prussia and Ukraine, speaking Plattdeutsch and High German) which primed him for a teaching career capitalizing on language skills and paved the way for a second career in travel.
I’m thankful for 3 visionary women, Barbara, Karen, and Mrs Renner, who convinced George in 1988 to offer travel itineraries in Central Europe built around popular small town and rural weekend volkswalks. These three ladies promoted the new concept at weekend walks in Oregon and filled the first summer’s 3 tours in 1989. This formed the core of our current, proprietary WAI walking model.
I’m grateful for a 34-year-long parade of dedicated teammates who invested hearts and minds deeply into the WAI travel vision. Guiding, traveler support and coaching, admin, marketing, bookkeeping, tour planning, and more…a host of WAI team members caught the vision and brought their best to incrementally make the Adventure ever better and better!
I’m thankful for a host of outstanding, inquisitive travelers who prioritized travel values of learning, exploring, curiosity, good cheer, and growth. Multiple generations of American and Canadian travelers (plus some from other parts of the planet) have joined the Adventure, often going bravely where no American travel group has gone before!
I’m grateful for the immense privilege of a worldwide classroom! In 1991, when Dad invited me to join him in building and operating WAI, I felt no foreshadowing of the stirring in my soul travel would ignite. It awakened an abiding delight and intercontinental hunger to piece together the planetary puzzle of this spinning blue globe. With so much to learn about an endless cornucopia of places and cultures and stories of humankind, the sense of wonder never grows stale.
Finally, and most of all, I am thankful for the loving, protective providence of a Heavenly Father who blessed WAI with a blanket of goodwill and lovingkindness for 37 years, even when we were oblivious to His care.
I hope you’ve all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and blessings on the holiday season ahead!
Dan & Linda Friesen
[email protected]
www.walkingadventures.com
P.S. I hope to stay in touch on my Facebook page as the dust settles on the transition to WAI’s new owners.
