This story is part of Love For Our Elders’ celebration of National Share-A-Story Month. We encourage you to share your story with us this month by clicking here.

My father was a great man who wanted the best for his sons. He taught my two brothers and I about integrity, hard work and creating a fruitful life. My parents spent time and effort to provide us with opportunities that were full of fun, experience, and learning. This shaped me into the person that I am today and I am grateful for all that they have done.

When I was young, my father would take my brothers and I fishing across the northeast parts of the country. We were always going to a new place to fish – we would explore streams to fish for trout, lakes and ponds for bass fishing and travel to Canada to catch the fierce fighting northern pike. My brothers and I learned how to fish at different spots which required meticulous, individual approaches and techniques. We learned about fishing with live baits, dead bait and artificial lures throughout our fishing adventures. “Match the hatch”, as the expression goes, is a term that is specific to stream fishing, but means that you want your tactics to match the fishing environment to have the most success.

As I grew older, I learned that this expression is analogous to life – you often must tinker with the formula to be successful. Alongside our fishing exploits, my brothers and I were fond of the outdoors and explored the local terrain. We developed other fun traditions like building dams, catching the biggest crayfish and figuring out the best way to cross the steam. This typically ended in someone taking an ice-cold plunge into the water. These games gave us a thrill but importantly taught us to look beyond what was in our initial line of sight. We learned how to adapt and make more out of what was in front of us. These were enriching experiences, and along with all the fishing tales (no pun intended), we typically had another story related to our shenanigans.

My dad was patient with us and took the time to show us all he knew to help us catch fish. He also spent a lot of time untangling lines and rigging up hooks and lures to get us back on track when we were not doing so well. Overtime, the tangles and the knot tying took less time and we were able to fend for ourselves. I did not realize this at the time, but we were taught lessons about independence and self-sufficiency.

My brothers and I now enjoy deep sea saltwater fishing adventures where we catch trophy fish and pursue our passion of fishing and the outdoors. I remember taking my dad down to the Florida Keys to fish the area for the first time. We were both very excited because I was now teaching my dad what I knew about the local fishery and he enjoyed catching species that he had never heard of or seen before. During one trip, he caught his first Mahi Mahi off the Islamorada drift boat and it was exciting to share the experience with him. We later took pictures of the fish, fileted it and enjoyed a great meal. During that same trip, we went out to grab a bite at a charming local eatery with a warm ambiance that was nestled up against the beautiful Gulf of Mexico. We were entertained by a song that a local artist performed entitled “I Never Had a Bad Day of Fishing''. The song was sung out of key and lacked rhythm, but it was a performance that I will never forget. The lyrics of the song embrace the spirit of doing what you love and always sticking to it – for us, that was spending time together and fishing. The song encapsulates the fun and experiences I have shared with my father over the years and I often catch myself running that little jingle through my head when I think about the fond memories we share.

I would like to reward my father by being the same father figure to my daughters that he was to me. Life is a beautiful gift, and if I can provide the life enriching experiences that develop their interests in a caring and insightful way, I know that he would be very proud.