Monday, December 03, 2007

TWO of My Favourite People ON THE Planet:

Grandma Gwen and Grandpa Norm are friends we met when we lived in Langley BC, and they became friends, but they opened their home and their hearts to us and welcomed us in as family ... They are "adopted" Grandparents to Noahkila, Ms H and Beetle. Their home has been our stopping off point on trips across BC.

Norm and Gwen both say with pride and a great faith that lives what it believes - "I do not like to be called a Christian because of all the bad things that have been done down through the years in the name of Christianity. I prefer to be called a follower of Jesus."

To that I've always said - "Amen!!"

They are GOOD People !!! The best. And I (and many others) are blessed to call them friends.

And today I found this online (thanks to some hints from Norm in a phone call tonight) ... It's worth sharing ...

Couple marks sixty years of flying high
By Natasha Jones - Langley Times - November 09, 2007

The bride was a cloud of white lace as she drifted down the aisle towards her groom, her eyes peering lovingly at him through her veil.

Surely they must have shared the same thought: that God and destiny had a hand in their good fortune.
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They still think that, 60 years later.
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On Nov. 7, the bride and groom, Gwen and Norm Knighton, demonstrably as much in love as on that glorious day, flew by Harbour Air to celebrate their anniversary in Victoria, where they spent their honeymoon.
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Their two days at the Magnolia Hotel are, the couple say, a continuation of the party that started on Nov. 8, 1947.
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If there is one abiding quality that shines above all others in their union, it is that they have never let the sun go down on their wrath — an easy achievement for two who have never exchanged an angry word.
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The wedding came as soon as Gwen was 19. Her father had put his foot down, insisting that at 18, Gwen was too young to marry. So the wedding, which took place in the United Church in North Vancouver, was planned for four days after her birthday.
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It was her father who offered Gwen advice that has carried her and her groom through 60 blissful years.
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“On the day we got married, my Dad said to me, ‘There is only one thing that elevates us above animals, and it’s our ability to talk to each other.’ We’ve done that, all our married life.”
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Consequently, she said, “we have never screamed at each other. We have never fought each other, and we have never had a fight,” Gwen said.
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Were they to be asked for advice from newlyweds, she would say, “Just talk out the problems. Don’t shout and yell and stomp out of the house.”
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That sort of behaviour solves nothing, she said.
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When you’ve met the perfect person, “you live with them for the rest of your life. The only time you get the last word is when you say, ‘Yes, dear,’ “ Norm added with a laugh.
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Life is good for the couple, who can’t seem to stop laughing and smiling. “Every day is a party with Norm. He’s such a love. I’ve been blessed,” Gwen said.
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Norm, 81, and Gwen, 79, have lived in Langley since 1969. Norm and his father ran Knighton Musical Supplies in Vancouver, and he still carries out repairs for Toews Music and the Sound of Music.
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Gwen worked for B.C. Tel, then as a telephone operator for Vancouver General Hospital. Following a stint at Lions Gate Hospital, she became director of admitting at MSA Hospital in Abbotsford.
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There are too many highlights to count, and really, Gwen said, every day is a highlight. They focus on their family, a daughter and two sons, nine grandchildren and eight great grandchildren, their life in rural South Langley, friends, and worshiping at Sharon United Church in Murrayville.
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“When it’s this long and you’ve been that close for so long, every day is a highlight,” Norm said.
His mind goes back to the vision floating down the aisle, moments before he slipped the ring on Gwen’s finger. He was nervous, as many are when they embark on the journey.
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“I just watched her come up the aisle. She looked like an angel and she’s always been an angel to me, a guiding angel.”
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Six decades along, the magic remains for anyone to see. A look, a touch, the gentleness in their voices.
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Like two children let loose in a toy shop, Gwen and Norm can’t hide their excitement as Harbour Air’s Langley base manager Brian Grosse escorts them up the steps of the float plane.
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They pose for the photographer, then the other passengers climb aboard for the 30-minute flight. Pilot Wayne Manning gives the safety briefing, then invites Norm to sit in the co-pilot’s seat.
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Norm is strapped into his front-row perch. His wife is behind him. They look out of the window and, smiling the inescapable smile of people in love, wave goodbye. Two minutes later, they are airborne, flying high.
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A Belated Happy Anniversary you TWO!!!
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I wish I could have recorded Norm describing his FIRST flight in a DeHavilland Otter (his favourite is a Beaver - maybe for their 70th He'll get his flight in a Beaver !!!) it was like hearing an excited school boy sharing his adventures !!!
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Thanks for your friendship you guys ... I love you lots !!!!

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