Woe, Brad!  What a story!  What lessons.  You sure should be proud of your
son.  And I've an idea your son is proud of you and glad to call you dad.
Hope the next bonding experience is, not, so... intense!!!  So very glad
neither of you are physically hurt.    Gear can always be replaced at some
point.  Thanks for sharing your story with us!

Vicki

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brad Dunse" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 8:52 PM
Subject: Fisherman's Lesson


> I heard this story of a man and his 17 year old son who took to the water
> in search of some father-son bonding time, and   fish action on the lake
> which they could look back on having  had a good days fishing and such
> unbelieveable stories  as having caught the big one and how it got off
just
> as it was reeled up to the boat. The last outing was a bit shamefully
> stressed due to dad's impatience birthed out of a real desire for things
to
> go perfect for the son's father/son fishing experience, and dad was bound
> and determined this time to not let anything which didn't go just right
> bother him  and spoil the day, so smiles and fun is the menu for the day
> .  Prior to the day they had looked forward to all week, they headed to
the
> sporting goods store and checked out some new baits, made some treasured
> purchases.  Dad enjoying guiding his son into some artful purchases in the
> sport, and his son spending some of his hard earned money outfitting
> himself with a new tackle box, tackle, fish pliers, knife and all the
> necessities, an outfitting he can call his own. Then the big day came and
> fishing and bonding was all that was on the agenda. These two  took a
> leisure start of the day as they planned on fishing until dusk, so
> once  the gear was loaded, the canoe atop the vehicle, electric trolling
> motor, battery, fishing poles, tackle loaded  and all the fixings for a
> whale of a time were set and ready, they headed off to the lake about an
> hour and a half away. After arriving getting things settled, the trolling
> motor hooked up and raring to go, off they putted nice and quiet in search
> for lily pads, fallen trees and boat docks which prize bass love to hang
> out under. Time went on and fishing was not the best but they caught a
few,
> only one keeper at this point, but the dad was just happy with his son
> having caught the first keeper and  spending time with his son, and the
son
> I'm sure with the father, but of course son wanted action.   Soon however,
> he found himself in more action than he had hoped for. Dad, as he had all
> day, moved from sitting on the cooler to the seat according to the
> direction of the cast and to give his legs a bit of a break from the low
> canoe seats, this time had found himself in mid stride when balance was
off
> with a slight rock and kaploosh. Before he knew it dad was swimming with
> first thoughts of wondering how he would get himself back up in the canoe,
> as canoes, as just exampled, sometimes are not easy to stay in let alone
> climb back in, but in that split second which he was having that thought,
> he noticed the canoe was not upright, cooler, tackle boxes floating and
the
> canoe sticking out of the water like a freight liner going down  head
> first. Dad immediately started to call for the son to insure he was OK,
and
> the son doing same for the Dad. After a moment or two of commotion and now
> insured both are OK, they hang on a floating cooler, and the half sunk
> canoe which would normally float but the marine battery and the trolling
> motor  lay at the bottom at the other end of the canoe. Luckily the water
> was less than 16 feet as  a quarter of the canoe stuck out of the water to
> help them hang on. Trying to negotiate how they would get everything back
> to the launch an eighth of a mile away and through myriads of lily pads,
> they thought to try to swim to shore 50 to 75 feet away to the nearest
> shore but entering weeds with flailing legs is not good. Soon a man came
by
> with  a little boat, what was left of the gear, life jackets which were
> floating next to the cooler,  and one tackle box was tossed in the man's
> boat, and then the son, then the dad went aboard. Pulling up the canoe
> enough to remove the 70 pound marine battery, and hopefully a trolling
> motor still attached, soon they were on their way to the dock area holding
> on to a half filled canoe. After they loaded all the stuff back in the
> vehicle and started for home, dad began to think about the occurrence.
> After having thought a good pity party to himself about how he blew it, a
> perfectly good bonding time with his son, to show him a good time fishing,
> and cause he was so stupid, such a loser  to flip over the canoe, "How
> would he get his son back on the water now?" he thought. The hour and a
> half ride home was pleasant, slight joking, and of course dad was thankful
> that his son was not hurt or worse by getting caught by the trolling motor
> and plunged with it to the bottom of the lake, or not being able to get
the
> fishing line off that had wrapped his son's feet  together when they
waited
> for the boat to arrive. All sort of things began running through his head.
> Then he noticed something.  He noticed  something in his son that he
> wondered if the tables were turned, if he, the dad, would have reacted the
> same way. Dad noticed that although  it was his fault for the tipping, the
> son didn't flinch a bit at the loss of most of his tackle he just bought
or
> his pole or anything. The son said virtually nothing. Sure there was a
> comment in the heat of things after safety was assured and hanging on
> to  the cooler about the expense of the sport and no more, but no anger
and
> dad for having flipped the canoe. Dad began to see that had his son
flipped
> it over, and once safety had been insured, he had difficulty seeing as
much
> grace and disregard for lost property and could see some rebuke afterwards
> in attempts to make himself feel better after his losses, all at the sons'
> emotional expense. This realization not only hurt intensely but it also
> gave a new level of respect for his son, and for him, the dad, to look at
> things much differently. Compelled to show his son that lessons can be
> learned even in such times as these, he touted to his son... "You know? I
> learned something today." And before dad could tout his lesson his son
> said... "Yeah I did too. I learned that I'm not selfish.  Some tell me I'm
> selfish but all I could think of was that you were alright... nothing else
> mattered". Dad was taken back by his son's foresight in pondering more
than
> his losses again but a lesson to be learned of integrity and etc. Father
> and son stood in agreement in regard of personal safety, but dad admitted
> to his son that after the fact of all being OK, and safety is secured and
> things are alright, the his son taught him  a lesson in grace and not
> blaming dad for losing his stuff. He held no regard for the loss to spare
> the expense of dad's mistake, which dad could honestly say he doubted
> that  towards his son had it been his son's mistake. A lesson which
brought
> dad nearly to tears in thinking of it, and if pondering on it much more no
> doubt would do just that .
>
> If you haven't guessed by now this story is one I heard myself rambling
> through my head on the drive back today as I sat in soaking wet clothes
and
> a gracious son who I am very, very  proud. And hopefully after I replace
> all his equipment, he'll help me pick out a small boat which is flat
> bottomed and meant to fish out of and once again brave the water, and keep
> the canoeing for paddling  leisurely.
>
> Brad
>
>
> Brad
>
>    Do not change your theology to accommodate a tragedy