The Great Outdoors
by Larry Whiteley
ALONE ON THE LAKE
It was a Monday morning in July. He was alone on the lake. He had seen many sunrises in his life but none this beautiful. He dropped his jig near some bushes where his Garmin LiveScope showed him there were crappies. He saw the crappie coming to his jig, felt a thump, and set the hook. A big crappie tried to get off the hook as it came out of the water. He held it in his hand, smiled, and put it in the livewell.
He dropped his jig down again and watched. Another crappie took his bait and added to the livewell. The sound of an eagle caused him to pause from fishing and look up to the sky. The eagle flew around for a while, then landed in a nearby tree. It was probably hoping he would lose one and it would struggle in the water long enough to grab it.
As he dropped his jig down again, it occurred to him that he had not heard or seen another boat all morning. He heard crows, ducks, and geese. He saw deer and turkey at the water’s edge. Birds flittered around in the trees entertaining him and singing their songs. He thought to himself, “I bet heaven is like this.” He smiled again.
His thoughts were interrupted by another crappie on his line. It soon joined the others. By mid-morning, he had his limit of crappie. He didn’t want to go home yet, so he just sat there in the boat alone with his thoughts.
He wished his Dad would have taken him crappie fishing when he was a kid, but he didn’t. He thought of the times he took his son’s crappie fishing, the look on their faces when they caught their first crappie. He was wishing he hadn’t been so busy trying to make a living. He would have taken them fishing more.
Both grew up to be crappie fishermen. He was proud of the men they became. They were good husbands and fathers. Their kids became crappie fishermen too. It was because they had a dad that took them. Their grandpa did too. There was no doubt in his mind that his grandkids would also take their kid’s crappie fishing too someday.
They all live in other states now, so he takes a neighbor boy or kids from church crappie fishing with him when he can. He wished more fishermen would do that.
Smiling once again, he bowed his head, and thanked God for his family and all of his little fishing buddies he has now. He also thanked God for this special day and his time alone on the lake.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature, and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be.” ~ Anne Fra
