Fishing

My dad, brother, and I took the kids fishing yesterday.

My dad bought Justice a pink Barbie fishing pole.

It was cold and windy, not at all beautiful fishing weather.

The dam, Whiteclay Dam was all polluted. The kids were teasing and laughing at how there was a naked Barbie fish, diaper fish, beercan fish. It was gross that the only place to go fishing was so polluted and that people don't care to honor their envirment anymore.

The boys all stood with their fishing poles, my dad stood with his, Trav was busy helping everyone fish, cast, and whatever. I was going to and from my car to warm up. I guess when you are a kid you don't notice when the weather is cold, as long as you are doing something.

By the time Travis got his boys situated, he fixed Justice's pole. She stood there fishing for the first time in her life. My dad kept reminding me how much we used to fish when we was little kids and he would take us fishing. Then he decided it was too cold and the fish weren't biting anyway.

Then it happened. Justice's bobber started going up and down. Jalen helped her reel, or showed her how and sure enough she was the only one to catch a little perch that day.

Amongst the floating trash of the grimy dam, and in the windy cold weather, we all experienced a moment of beauty.

For the rest of her life, Justice is going to remember when she caught her first fish. She was going to remember her grandpa and uncle taking her fishing with her little pink pole and being the only one among the boys and men to catch a fish.

She didn't see the trash and polluted water or complain about the cold, like I did. She just felt pride in herself.

I love being able to see things through the eyes of children. They always seem to find the beauty in life, no matter what.