I’ve been away.
No, not on some exotic fishing trip to a faraway destination; I wish that was the case.
Instead I have been dealing with the opportunity, challenge and reality almost everyone faces at some point in their life: returning the love and tender care I received as a young child to a parent who is approaching the threshold of death.
As a follower of Jesus Christ I know the ultimate outcome of such a situation; nevertheless, holding the hand of a dying parent – especially the one who first told you about joys of Heaven – is an experience that will stretch and reshape an individual forever.
For the past half-century the six week span from the middle of March through the end of April has been, overwhelmingly, a time of “tunnel-vision time” in my life.
These six weeks represent some of the greatest bass-catching opportunities of the year and for those six weeks I have traditionally been “tunnel-visioned”: able to think only about fish feeding heavily for their annual spawn and then being extremely vulnerable during the spawn.
But mid-March through April 30, 2017, has been a break with that pattern.
I have been away: on a journey to say “good bye” and to realize, at long last, how blessed my life has been.
Life moves on and so must we.
Good-bye, Mom. Thanks for telling me about Jesus; thanks for buying me my first fishing rod; and thanks for giving me a reason to love life. I will pass those messages on to your grandchildren and try to show them how a life filled with joy is to be lived.