The Great Outdoors
by Larry Whiteley
A SPECIAL FATHERS DAY
As he sleeps there’s a smile on his face. He must be dreaming about going fishing. He feels someone kissing him on the cheek. Through sleepy eyes he sees Mom. In his grogginess he hears her say, “You better get up, it’s Father’s Day and time to take Dad fishing.” His eyes widen and he reaches up and hugs her.
Mom sends him to the bathroom to do his morning big boy duties and brush his teeth. He rushes back to his room. She helps him with his “Daddy’s Fishing Buddy” t-shirt and “Born to Fish” cap. Dad is a lucky man to have his son take him crappie fishing for Father’s Day.
Mom, Dad and the little boy sit in the boat. Mom is taking pictures. The little boy is helping Dad fish. Dad helps him cast the jig into the water. Mom said it was a great cast. They all smiled. She got a great picture. The jig twitched and Dad helped him set the hook and bring the crappie to the boat. Mom was frantically taking pictures as the little boy reeled.
He posed with Dad for pictures with the fish. He gave a high-five to Dad and Mom. He and Dad caught lots of crappie on this special day. On the drive home, Mom turned in the passenger seat and took more pictures of a tired little fisherman fast asleep in the back seat, his “Born to Fish” cap tilted to one side. He was probably dreaming fish dreams. It had been a special Father’s Day.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Your kids remember what you do ‘with’ them a lot longer than what you do ‘for’ them. It is the fishing trips that linger in our minds more than the fishing pole.” ~ Uncle Phil
THE WISDOM OF OLD BOONE
June nights are made for being outdoors whether it’s camping under a star filled sky, catching fireflies, sitting around a campfire or crappie fishing with a full moon shining on the water.
FLAG DAY
People who drive by my house will always see the American flag hanging with pride in my yard, blowing in the breeze. It is there 365 days a year unless I take it down in bad weather or to replace it with a new one. As a veteran, I fly our flag every day in honor of those who served and those who died fighting for our country.
Flag Day is Wednesday, June 14th. It is not an official federal holiday but I encourage everyone to fly our flag at least on this special day. You probably won’t see any news media coverage of Flag Day. You probably won’t see anything about it on social media.
I am sad and mad at what I see happening in America. We are living in a broken world and I pray for it every day. Through it all however, I will still fly and salute our flag. As President Ronald Reagan once said, “When we honor our flag, we honor what we stand for as a Nation – freedom, equality, justice, and hope.”
