Last week, Peter and I drove through dense fog to the hot springs up in the mountains to fight the winter blues. We both felt a bit depressed by the long, dark winter.
Entering the pool area after changing, I scanned the steaming water to find Peter in the rising mist.

Suddenly, I noticed a good-looking man with an athletic body sitting at the edge of the hot half of the round pool. He looked at me with a bright, expectant smile. Coming closer, on the verge of asking if we knew each other,  I suddenly remembered,  “Danny, Daniel’.

He was one of the first students Peter taught at the Fauquier School. He came from a family of four brothers and sisters. Shortly before we arrived in Fauquier, they had tragically lost their mother in a car accident at the dangerous S curve close to the ferry landing on Highway 6 to Vernon.

“ Oh, Danny,” I smiled, “ so good to see you after so many years. You have changed so much,” I laughed. I hadn’t seen him since he left high school. “You haven’t changed at all, Mrs. Klopp,” he laughed back, “that’s why I recognized you.”
I suddenly noticed a wheelchair close by at the edge of the pool. Seeing my questioning glance, Danny told me his story. After graduation, he worked in construction, building motels and hotels throughout the province.  After he married and had a little daughter, he had a devastating accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. For many years, he stayed like a hermit at home, depressed and grieving his loss.
One day, he decided to embrace life again. He learned to drive his truck, getting in and out without assistance. He started working and founded a taxi company in Kelowna. He learned new life skills to cope and overcome his handicap. This is his story in a nutshell.

When I later met his lovely wife, I could see that she and his daughter must have played a major role in his recovery back to life. Daniel had the brightest, happiest, contagious smile, radiating joy and love. I took pictures of him and his beautiful partner before they had to leave. Two friends expertly lifted Danny out of the water into the wheelchair, and we waved goodbye.
This encounter raised my spirits. There is always hope in the worst situations of life. Some people like Danny learn to cope and overcome unimaginable hardships and injuries.  Their resilient spirit inspires us to never succumb to depression but to embrace life and find the joy of living again.

Peter and I were so touched by our encounter with Danny and his inspiring story.  Thank you, Danny!  Your happy smiles are like sunshine. You chased our winter blues away.