I am number three daughter of four, which means after two girls, I was the consolation prize for the highly anticipated arrival of a son. Nevertheless, I was well loved, but always felt the pressures of expectation to be rough, tough and rise above the weaknesses generalized for girls. In a short measure, I was my daddy’s “boy”.

From the time I was potty trained, I became his sidekick. I remember the old timers always referring to me as “baby freck”, spun from my daddy’s nickname “freck”. He rightly earned it by the reddish, brown polka dots we shared that has always laid across my cheeks and nose for as long as I can remember.

by far, my favorite times were our fishing expeditions. fishing with my dad taught me more about life than just about anything. Valuable lessons were learned during those treasured days and want to share a few of my most memorable:

Take the time and prepare well for the day. Prepare your line and make sure there are no kinks that will get hung up in the rod.

Only use quality bait. Quality bait will yield quality fish.

Location, location, location is everything. Settle on a spot just down from the spillway, where the water is a bit calmer and the fish have time to collect themselves coming out of the violent ride from the other side. Know your target fish well. Are they top feeders or bottom feeders? The answers to these questions are valuable information to prepare the position of your cast and whether a safety bobber is needed.

Always listen carefully to instruction, because the painful consequences are sure to be worse. Like the time I was caught by a fish hook in my upper thigh. notice I said once… I will always stand back when asked and Still to this day, I wear this scar as a reminder.

After the careful preparation is complete, Now you wait… patiently in the still anticipation of the big catch. Ninety percent of fishing is waiting. Read that again. Ninety percent of fishing is waiting.

consider the word, jesus used fishing in so many of his parables, so it must be a viable parallel to life. In the waiting is where peace is found. In the waiting is where relationships flourish. In the waiting is when the still small voice of God is heard the loudest.

Position your heart in the waiting towards Heaven and everything else will fall perfectly into place. You will always know when the big one is on the other end of the line. Never give up. Nothing God has for you will ever be missed. Remember, His word never returns void and His love and promises never fail.

Lori A. Potts