The lure of fishing and catching memories

Two weekends ago, we had a little belated birthday party for one of our grandsons at the lake.  He wanted to go fishing with his dad, grandpa, little brother and a friend.  The day started out rainy but cleared up upon their arrival.  The fishing was very good that day and they had a great time.

But the best catch was right off the end of the pier just before dinner.  The birthday boy landed a big beautiful sunfish.

He and his brother proudly showed off their catch and then released it back into the lake.

The only glitch was when little brother jumped the gun and blew out the candles on his big brother's birthday cake leftovers, but we quickly lit them again and did a retake.

I don't fish anymore, but I remember fishing with my dad when I was a child.  My parents built a tiny cottage on the other side of Golden Lake when I was 4 years old.  They only kept it for 5 years, but over 60 years later, I still have vivid memories of those summers.

Dad loved to fish and even after the cottage was sold, he kept a boat and took me fishing with him often.  He was a quiet man and looking back on those times I remember rocking gently in our boat and fishing for hours.  Few words were needed.  We were content to be out on the lake together, waiting for a bite.  I loved those times with him and wish we could have had more of them, but dad has been gone now for 30 years.

Recently a dear friend of mine who is Catholic, arranged a Mass to be said in his honor and asked me if I wanted to attend, even though I haven't attended church for many years.  Only that morning, I had seen on Facebook that my cousins still celebrate their dad's birthday, even though he has been gone a long time.  He was my dad's brother, and I thought how nice it would be to do the same for my dad.  It turns out that the Mass was scheduled on July 16th because that was one of the few dates they had open for Mass requests.  It also turns out that July 16th is my dear dad's birthday.  He would have been 97.  Perhaps it's a coincidence, but I prefer to think that dad is still looking out for me.  So, we are going to church and then out to breakfast to celebrate.

Happy Birthday, Dad!  Thanks for sharing your love of the lake with me.  It is alive and growing.