Monday, March 10, 2014

Gone Fishin'




For some reason, I've been thinking about those Saturday mornings from my childhood. The ones where the sky was a perfect blue and the sun shone brightly. On any such Saturday, Dad would look at my little sister and me and ask, "Wanna go fishing?"  Yes - we most certainly did. We followed him out to the backyard to dig for worms.

Mom packed snacks while Dad got the fishing gear ready. We helped in our own little way. Then the four of us piled in the car and headed out. We had our choices of fishing places. Often we would go to the lake where Dad could rent a little rowboat. The sun turned the lake into millions of diamonds and we dangled our hands over the side, scattering them in our wake.

Sometimes he steered the car to a different lake. He would park, and we would all pitch in to carry all of our necessary things down to the water's edge. Once Mom had been settled in her lawn chair with her Good Housekeeping magazines in her lap, we got down to business.

Dad baited our hooks (As I got older I learned to bait my own hook. I felt so proud. Apparently I didn't have much sympathy for the plight of the poor worm.) and cast our lines in the water. Once he got his own line in, we sat companionably watching the little red and white bobbers for any sign of fishy activity.

Poor Dad didn't get to sit for long periods of time. Every time we reeled in our lines, he'd get up and cast them out again. Sometimes I did it all by myself. However, this often made it necessary for Dad to get up yet again. I had a real knack for getting my line caught in the overhanging branches.

I can close my eyes and remember how I felt on those quiet, lazy Saturdays. A special feeling lay all around us. My Mom quietly reading, my little sister and Dad beside me, the sun dancing on the water and the gentle breeze.

I didn't know then that it was peace. I didn't know our hearts were being knit together in a way only love can do. But God knew. He surrounded me with precious gifts I treasure to this day. I understand now how priceless and all too rare those gifts were.

Just a simple Saturday by the lake. Just everything to a little girl.

Joining dear Laura for Playdates With God

 


Blessings,
Linda