Whenever I hold our newborn daughter, I find myself marveling at her weight. The perfect little wholeness of her. The way it molds itself knowingly into the crooks of my arms, against my skin. The chub of her shoulder, the rosy sheen on the rounds of her cheek. It all feels perfect to me — the exact amount of density, pressure and impact at every curve. I invite her to settle in, gazing into the sweetness of her curious expression, and in those moments understand with my body what it means to be present.
But still, my mind can't help sketching out the silhouettes of her tomorrows. Who is she? Who will she be?
And so it is that the word legacy bubbles up for me, and then the weight of that word becomes bright in my thoughts. Because like me, our daughter arrives in a family whose future is a reflection of its past, a family whose North Star is the infinite spirit of stewardship, generations linked together by the common goal of living in concert with nature. Like her older brother, she too will learn of our ethos of conservation and deep respect for wild Alaskan seafood and its iconic industry in Alaska — a love that began with the sockeye salmon of Bristol Bay that has fueled three generations of Kallenbergs with a profound sense of purpose.
She too will find stories left in tide pools, and witness the stubborn glory of the midnight sun, and hear of the mythical migration patterns of that special pink-hued fish that whispered life into her lineage.
She, too, will know her legacy, and more than anything, she will know love. We could not be more grateful and honored to bring this little one on board.
Live Wild,
Monica
Pictured above: The Kallenberg with the chubbiest cheeks and longest lashes, officially the newest WAC team member in her Wild Alaskan Company onesie (we couldn’t help ourselves).
