Nice, Big Fish

My dad is 84 years old. One year on our annual father daughter fishing trip, I lied about actually catching a fish!

You see, I wanted to make him proud because after all....he taught me how to fish. We always separated when fishing, but kept in touch by blowing our whistles now and then.

It was our last day of fishing at Kennedy Meadows and I had no luck, so I desperately prayed to my God to please bring me a fish as I have always pictured God wearing a Hawaiian shirt. With His Almighty sense of humor, He did bring me a fish…only there was one problem…it wasn't exactly in the water.

As I walked around the other side of some bushes, there was a big, nice fish halfway squirming on the river's shoreline. Alone, I looked around with big shifty eyes excitingly thinking, “so there REALLY is a God!”

You would've thought it was a golden egg. I had this fish all tucked in my Ziploc bag, sitting on a rock as I waited proudly to witness my dad's look of amazement on his face. I pictured he would come around the river's cove in slow motion, dropping his jaw open and shouting, “WOW, YOU CAUGHT THAT BIG FISH?”

I was ready to burst open and boast, but yet played it off like it was no big deal—ready for him to be jealous, because fishing is a very competitive sport for my family.

My dad took one look at my fish and took over that lucky fishing spot! Haha! Needless to say, God had bigger fish to fry and had moved on by then.

We talk about that nice, big fish and my fishing techniques to this day....well I bring it up, not my dad. I haven't told him the truth because I have convinced myself that I did catch a fish, just without a fishing pole! I do realize it's really about the quality time spent together on these father daughter trips.

Now, should I tell him or not?

This story was graciously written by Julie.