Mom shares her experience during a family weekend in paradise
“We need to grab these moments when we can to be with our family without any outside influences,” Leesa says. “It was an opportunity for Brittni and I to have some mother-daughter time. We don’t always get that.”
Nimmo Bay Resort generously donates space for Power To Be families at the end of their season every year. This year, families from the Wilderness School and Adaptive Recreation programs – both in Victoria and Vancouver – made the journey to this remote corner of B.C.’s coastline that is only accessible by boat or plane.
The group took advantage of the resort’s kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to explore the water, and headed to the trails to check out the forest. Deep in the woods, some of them challenged themselves by repelling down a cliff face.
“It was a very raw, very true moment where people were showing their fears and their excitement,” Leesa says, noting that being outside meant all your senses were heightened. “You had this feeling that very few people had ever walked on this part of B.C.”
There were quieter moments too. One morning, while the rest of the group was tucked in bed she snuck out to the outdoor rain shower. “It was like nothing I have experienced. It was so warm and so quiet. That was nice, a moment that I could just be by myself.”
When not exploring the world outside, the families settled into the resort’s cozy spaces to share meals, play games and get to know each other. It was there that Power To Be logistics co-ordinator Sarah Glenn introduced a family tree activity.
“The tree is a metaphor for looking at who you are,” she says. “It opens up a dialogue for families.”
As each family drew their tree, they explored their cultural roots and their individual upbringing together. With room for conversation around where people came from and where they want to go, it encourages families to talk about what supports they have and need in their lives, Sarah says.
“It gave Brittni and I some alone time to really connect over our family and our common interests and some interests we didn’t know we had in common,” Leesa says. “It was a real eye opener.”
Those conversations continued as the families took advantage of the slower pace to the days. “Most nights Brittni and I checked in pretty early and went back to the cabin and played cards and talked.”
Creating that space is exactly what Power To Be and Nimmo Bay aim to do, Sarah says.
“If we as an organization and Nimmo Bay as a partner can create an opportunity where families can remove themselves from the day to day there is great value in that,” Sarah says. “It just allows relationships to flourish.”
Leesa can attest to that.
“Every day we are bombarded with so much stuff. Whether it’s work or a community commitment, the news,” she says. “(At Nimmo Bay) everything that we talked about was what was happening at the moment and it was nice sharing that closeness and being very present with each other.”
We want to say a huge thank you to the team at Nimmo Bay Resort for sharing their amazing space with us, and creating room for families to connect in such a beautiful environment. To the families, it was a pleasure to spend the weekend with you!
– Story shared by Leesa Watson, Adaptive Recreation participant mom