The One That Got Away
It was overcast and dreary. One of those days when you'd like
to stay in bed and watch old movies all day. I was searching for
something. But I'm always searching. I'm like a scavenger looking
for stuff that no one else sees.
I headed out to the nearby state park figuring that I could get away
from the busy world and focus on the real stuff that life is made of.
When my Dad was alive he often headed to this park just to sit and
watch people. My parents made me a "people watcher." A big treat
for me was to head to the local drug store with them and have an ice
cream soda and then sit in the car in front of the shopping center and
just watch people walk by.
But I went to the park this time to get away from people. I just wanted
to listen to what was going on inside me. I walked down to the edge of
the lake and stood inside this covered pavilion where a few old picnic
tables sat waiting for the summer folk. The squirrels ran from tree to
tree scampering about filled with excitement.
A few geese paddled by watching me carefully, not sure if I came to
offer them a slices of yesterday's bread. They hesitated now, but as
the summer crowds fill the park the geese and ducks become quite
brazen as they intrude upon the picnic areas like street gangs almost
threatening the visitors to share the goodies.
But for now we kept our distance. They had this look that seemed to say,
"Oh, he's only a dreamer. Probably a writer at worst. They have nothing
to give but themselves." They moved on.
Off along the shoreline, at a point that seemed too narrow to venture on
to, I could see an woman. She sat quietly with little movement. I
assumed like me, she was in retreat from the world. A light rain began
to fall and speckled the calmness of the water interrupting my glassy stare
at the reflection of the gray clouds. It reminded me that life is often
interrupted just when things are calm and we get too settled into it. I
guess as I look back at it all, those times offered challenges for growth.
Although, at the time, I saw no real value at all.
Having been lost in thought for a few minutes, I didn't notice that the
woman had moved away from her perch at the lake's edge. I scanned
the area and found her sitting close by on a fallen tree trunk under one
of the many tall pines. The rain for now, had ended.
"What is it they say about rainy days and Mondays?" she said as
she sat with her head bowed down.
"Always get me down!" I yelled over to her in reply. Words from a
song I had tucked away in my memory.
"Well as my Daddy always said, this is "The one that got away."
she said as she lifted and turned her head toward me.
"Your father was a fisherman?" I asked.
"Yes, every where he went." she said.
"My Uncle Al carried fishing equipment in his trunk and would pull
over whenever he found a lake or creek. He had a license in about
four states including New Jersey, where he lived." I told her.
"No, my Daddy didn't fish in lakes and streams. He was what the
Bible called a "Fisher of Men." He was a preacher." She seemed
to hold her head high and proud as she spoke about him.
"He always considered a day lost when he could not make a
difference in someones life. He called it "The one that got away."
"So, you're feeling like you lost this one?" I asked.
"I'm afraid I've lost a whole bunch of them." she said as she turned
her back to the lake. "I can't seem to get back to the way I was
before. I was always upbeat and motivated. I think I often
overwhelmed people with my positive spirit. It concerned me at
first until one day my co-workers said they depended on me to
be that way.
It seems a lot of people did."
"So, what happened?" I asked not expecting a straight answer.
It really wasn't any of my business.
"My husband's business all but collapsed. He made some poor
choices and everything we had seemed to vanish." she said as
she walked closer to me.
"Forgive me for asking such a personal question. But was your
love for each other a part of the business?"
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"This road to self destruction that you seem to be on leads me to
believe that you've forgotten that your love for each other is far more
valuable than the business or mistakes made. It appears to me that,
like this lake, everything was smooth and wonderful until it rained"
I said. "You can either look at the business failure as something that
has taken away from your relationship or like the rain on the lake,
added to it."
She had tears in her eyes as she stood there looking so helpless
and lost.
"But it was a side of him I never saw. He made reckless choices.
Our life isn't the same because of it" she said.
"This isn't the one that got away" I said. "You're throwing this one
back because it's the wrong size. Like the fisherman you toss it
back...it's too small."
"As a fisher of men, your Daddy went after the big and the little
challenges. Those days when one seemed to have gotten away
he found strength in the love he had in his life. The love of his family
and the love for God. He would not permit defeat and poor judgment
to ever diminish that love. Love is always the answer" I continued.
"Here's a better song. 'Love. Love will keep us together.'"
"Don't tell me. You're a preacher" she said.
"No. But I was told that I am a 'fisher of men." I replied.
"Well, I believe my Daddy sent you here. Good catch!" she said
as she smiled. "What bait do you use?"
"A little caring, a bit of trust, and a lot of faith, I guess" I replied.
"Well, I'm a believer" she said.
"So am I. 'I believe in YOU!'"
"I wish you enough!"
J
~ Bob Perks ~
Good news - Bob Perks' first book, "I Wish You Enough," Embracing Life's Most Valuable Moments... is now available for ordering. Here's the "Link"
to get your copy of Bob's book: I Wish You Enough from Amazon.com.
[ by: Bob Perks
Copyright © 2010 (2believe@comcast.net) -- {used with permission} ]
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