Father's Day Memories

                                    Father's Day Memories




     " From the darkness of despair a child's laughter brightens the day."
         Mike Riggan


     I have been living in a dark place for a long time now. I wallowed in sadness, anger, self pity and many other maladies associated with grief. What has kept me going is the love of my family and support of my friends, I have to wonder where I would be without them.
     The one person who has been my most staunch supporter doesn't even know what she has done for me because of her youth and innocence. Every time I see her she lights up my life with her smile and I can't wait to pick her up and hold her in my arms, it is these times that I know my life has been a success. When leaving her the darkness slowly creeps back. Of course I am talking about my Granddaughter - Michaela Judy Riggan, MJ for short. I love this little girl more than life.
     Many months ago I started picking her up and taking her out for the day, just the two of us. We went to parks and I watched as she walked around soaking in all of the sights and sounds that were new to her, sometimes we just went to my place and I would watch her play.
     Today was Fathers Day - June 21, 2015, and it was just as special as any day that I can spend with her. Her father, Danny, had made plans with me that we should take MJ fishing for the first time. I wasn't so sure that this would work out because she is only 2 1/2 yrs. old but it was a time for which I have been waiting. My sister Vickie had bought her a fishing rod a long time ago and I recently bought her a life jacket for riding on my boat.
     When I arrived to pick them up MJ was sitting in her chair eating and watching fishing shows with her Dad. When she heard me coming in the room she looked up as she always does with a big smile on her face and when I freed her from the chair she came into my arms and I got my hug. She was eager to go.
     When we got to the lake she was scared by the sound of the motor being raised and had to be held by her Dada until he could calm her down. She wasn't to sure about the moving boat so I took things slow and easy at first. We stopped at the first fishing spot and I held her in my lap as I worked the trolling motor to guide us into a place I thought might hold a Bream or two,.She pointed at different things on the bank that I had seen hundreds of times but she was seeing for the first time with the wide eyes of a child. I couldn't understand every word she said but to watch her soaking up so many new sights and sounds is a process I never tire of. She watched carefully as her Dada baited the hook with a wriggling worm and then again as the bobber floated on the water.
     We didn't get any bites at the first spot and I commented to Danny that this would not be good if the fish didn't bite so we moved to another spot. The second fishing hole proved to be better. MJ seemed to be interested in the fundamentals of fishing but she didn't want to have much to do with holding the rod or reeling in the fish, she kept giving the rod to me or Danny but she did get excited about the fish we caught.
     Her attention span was that of a two yr. old and she soon decided that she wanted to play with the rod so Danny removed the hook and attached a pink plastic fish. MJ would drop the fish and bobber in the water and pull it out and wave it around proclaiming - I think - that she had caught a fish. She walked around in the confines of the boat which can be tight and I thought a couple of times that we may have to fish her out of the water but when she squirmed thru a tight spot she would stand up and say  with glee that she "did it ".
     Once the fishing petered out we went for a boat ride bouncing across the waves at 35 mph and she sat in Dada's lap without so much as a whimper. We'll make a fisherman out of her yet.
     The day brought back memories of the day I went with Danny and Clay on their first boat ride and fishing trip with my sister Vickie and her husband Larry. I remember the joy and laughter as they held up their first catch, it was, like today, one of those moments of fatherhood that a man knows life doesn't get any better.  There were three generations of the family on the boat today , I will be long gone by the time there is a fourth generation and such an event will happen again, maybe the fish will bite better then but it won't matter because all that will matter will be the sharing of time with people that love each other.
     Later that afternoon I was treated to dinner along with Marie's Mom and Dad, Clay was there and I watched as MJ crawled up into Clays lap for most of the dinner. I held and played with Matthew who will someday go for a ride on Grandpa's boat to catch his first fish and brighten an old man's day.
     The day ended and I went home to a house full of memories and stuffed a new memory into the album of my life, one that I will cherish in a time when all I can do is sit in an old chair looking thru a window remembering the happy times.