Father's Day Fish Tale

It is not too soon to be thinking about Father's Day! Your dad /husband, brother/son may be expecting some attention on that day so you will be a hero when you come up with the perfect gift for "dad." Do you have some favorite "dad times"? I know I do. Although my dad is no longer with us, he is in my heart every day and I have so many good memories to draw upon. This father's day as I look to my brothers, I can see they are awesome dads and I know they learned so much from our dad. There are so many lessons that dad shared with us, it is nearly impossible to share them all. So, I will pass on a DAD experience that I know my family would agree upon as an important part of our lives, and that was fishing. Dad was an executive at a large company where he enjoyed a wonderful career. To counter living in a big city, his favorite "get-away" was fishing. That meant that every summer vacation was spent in northern Minnesota on a large quiet lake where Dad could fish every day. Of course, earlier than I can remember we three kids had fishing poles in our hands. But we had to learn the "rules." That is, how to handle a hook, how to add bait to the hook, when to cast and when to troll, how to fillet a fish, and on and on. But, the one significant part of the fishing journey was learning patience. Dad would sit with each of us individually and show us the careful process of getting ready for our fishing journey, particularly when we were going on the lake. Safety came first. Safety on the dock…safety in the boat… safety when carrying a rod with a hook attached, etc. Dad was always there to remind us that being prepared and safe was paramount. Once we got in the boat and started fishing, we waited and waited for the fish to bite. Dad would tell us that good things were worth waiting for and sometimes we never caught a thing but the fun was in the trying. When we finally caught a fish (or a turtle or a stick), it was a big deal. Dad, thank you for teaching us... that when you doing something, do it right do what you love good things are worth waiting for safety first It's not about the fish…it's about the fishing…. Happy Father's Day to all of you dads and may you pass on your passions to your family!