June 19, 2011

Happy Father's Day!


My dad passed away 26 years ago, and a lot of my memories of him have faded. But I will always remember and cherish the times that he took me fishing. 

I started going on Sunday afternoon fishing trips with him when I was a little tiny thing, perhaps 6 or 7 years old. He taught me the names of the different types of fish that I caught. Bluegills were the most common and the easiest to pull in. I never was brave enough to put a slimy worm on the hook. Through trial and error, he realized that I would put little minnows on the hooks myself. (Sorry, but worms are too creepy for me to touch!) Once, I accidentally jerked my pole while he was putting a worm on the hook. Wouldn’t you know it, that hook went right into his hand! I was mortified by my carelessness. I apologized profusely during the drive to the emergency room, and was so grateful that he didn’t yell at me. 

When we got home from fishing, I would stay in the kitchen to watch him clean the fish. Mom would leave the room for that endeavor because it always grossed her out. We would always have a good feast at dinner after the filets were breaded and fried. 

A kid learns a bit of patience when they are taught to fish. You have to wait, sometimes for quite a while, until the red and white plastic bobber lets you know that you got a nibble on the end of the line. But while waiting, you get to notice the beautiful landscape and the multitude of nature sounds around the fishing hole. To this day, when I hear a bobwhite, I think of those fishing days so long ago that I spent with my dad. Thank you, Dad, for the lessons in patience and these fond memories.

7 comments:

  1. It has been four years for me since my Dad passed. He and I started to plant pumpkins in 2003 for all his great-grandkids. I remember the first time I was alone to plant the seeds it was Father's Day weekend I just cried the whole time as I planted. And yesterday I planted again thinking about him as always. Sounds like we both have some good memories.

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  2. You have me in tears.....
    How blessed you are to have great memories!
    xo, misha

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  3. Lost mine in '02....Damn, how I miss him...
    Yours sounded like he was a wonderful man...Beautiful story sweetheart...
    PS- Remind me to Never go fishing with you...just saying...Hahaaaa
    (((HUG)))

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  4. Lovely memory of your dad and your special time with him.

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  5. Precious memories.

    Personally I don't like fishing (having been forced to catch and clean fish as a kid, when I would rather have been propping up a shade tree, devouring a good book), but your post is wonderful because it's less about fishing than it is about your dear dad and the time he took to teach you about patience and nature, and the time he spent just letting you be content. Happy Father's Day!

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  6. Wonderful memories, indeed!! What a blessing that you have those kinds of memories to cherish, Donna. :-)

    My dad took us 4 kids fishing a lot and we, too, learned patience with a fishing pole at an early age. To this day, we all love to fish.

    I'm brave enough to put worms and minnows on a hook, but you should see the way I take a fish OFF the hook! LOL I put the fish in the bottom of the boat, step on his tail with my shoe/boot, and them remove the hook from his mouth. Then I quickly pick him up by his tail and toss him overboard. LOLOL Yes, I know...I'm a sissy.

    Hope your week is full of happy memories, Donna!

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