Happy Father's Day

On my first fishing trip with my dad he paddled me around a small lake in a canoe as I asked a million questions. He had the patience of Job. Since then we've enjoyed many days on the water together. We've had good fishing and bad fishing, but we've always had great fellowship.  I remember the time I realized that my dad was not omnipotent. We were going night fishing on the Tennessee River and there were thunderstorms in the forecast. I said, "Daddy, did you read the forecast? It's supposed to storm. What are we going to do?" He calmly explained that we would go fishing and hope for the best, but that he could do nothing to change the weather.

On another occasion I remember how excited I was to go fishing with my dad and a guide on Lake Okeechobee. The only problem was that we went there during the hottest part of August. The fishing was horrible, but I did manage to get a glimpse of a very large elderly woman sunbathing nude on the deck of a houseboat.

Now that I'm 42 years old, I realize how much energy my dad must have had to keep up with us. On Saturday mornings the old man would saddle seven or more horses so that the whole family could go riding. I'm not sure I could do that, but then again, I've managed to have only 2 kids and 1 wife so far!

With seven kids and countless grandchildren, I would say that there is not much my dad hasn't seen. All things considered, he's done a darn good job with us.  

My grandfather used to tell me, "Salute your father, Jim." So this is my Father's Day salute. Thanks for being a great daddy.