Fishing

Here's an essay I wrote for a scholarship back in my senior year of high school...

“Dad! My line’s stuck again!” I set my fishing pole down and ran over to fish with his pole until he freed my line. As luck would have it, I found myself entangled in a mess once again: “Dad, your line is stuck!” My dad never lost his patience or his temper; instead, he reformed situations that seemed impossible to find the least bit humorous. “It must be the big one— he just broke loose from your line; maybe we can reel him in this time,” my dad would joke. Precious moments such as these filled my childhood with words of wisdom: “Don’t sweat the small stuff and look at things from a different perspective.” My dad taught me lessons by practicing the words he preached. He always baited his own hooks and taught me to bait mine. “Dyanne, come over here and bait this hook,” he said. I doddled, dreading the moment I had to place that worm in my fingers and then thrusting its body through the hook but not before ripping its body in half to ration the bait. As insignificant as this may seem, my dad trained me to do things for myself.

I was ready to cast when I heard my dad shout, “Wait!” I turned my head to find that I was about to rip my sister’s shirt off; the hook had caught itself in the end of her T-shirt. Thank goodness for Dad; he helped me to always be aware of my surroundings. I unhooked my sister, and just as I thought my cast was going to be successful, SNAP! My line caught the tree and broke in half. “Dad! I need you!” As he came over, he had no look of disappointment, only encouragement. “I can’t reach the rest of the line— I need you to get it for me,” I begged. He picked up our fishing bucket and set it upside down. “Now you can reach it,” he confirmed. Sure enough, it was within reach. “Never set limits, never. There’s always a way, even if you need a little help sometimes.”

My dad prepared my line once again: “Ok, you’re all set— go for it!” I anxiously took the pole and cast into the water. Time passed and nothing…. I set my pole down and my dad shook his head. “Pick that up! And catch us some dinner; try that spot over there.” Ready to give up, I relocated and fished for a while. I waited for what seemed like an eternity, and then my bob went underwater! “Dad! Dad!… I think I caught something!” I began to reel it in, but the fish sure did fight back, swimming from side to side, struggling with all its might. I slowly reeled in my line, using all my strength. After a drawn out battle, I reeled in the biggest fish I had ever seen (well, on my fishing line)! My dad was waiting with the pliers and pulled the hook out of its mouth. I held up my fish with pure pride and grinned from cheek to cheek. Persistence and determination. “Never give up,” I could hear my dad echo.

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...fishing with my dad brings back some of my fondest memories.

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...the sea is so close i can nearly feel it and taste it and smell it... i will venture there soon enough...we leave in the night [a get-away]...sleeping in the car or perhaps on the beach...there for sunrise...day in the sun...o wonderous sea! o wonderous God!

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I am loving every moment; content with the very minute the Lord has given me. Why worry about tomorrow? Why dwell on the past? Now is the time He's given me. This is a significant concept to grasp and when you do, walking with the Lord feels so much freer!