Thank You Grandpa!

Thank You

Each person who loves fishing has had that other person that took them fishing when they were young. Whether it was an uncle, grandpa, father, cousin, family friend, or even maybe a coach. Someone took you fishing and made you fall in love with it. For me, that person was my grandpa.                              

Growing up I would spend a lot of time at my grandparent’s house in Olympia, WA since they only lived 40 minutes away from me. Whenever my mom and dad were busy they brought my sister and I down to spend a couple of days with the grandparents. To keep us entertained my grandpa would take us to museums, zoos, and other things like that. He also took us fishing. I remember one time it was just him and I, and I said I wanted to go fishing. So he got all the gear together and packed it into the drift boat and we went to a local lake. We got into the lake and he rowed us out to the middle. We fished for about hour maybe an hour and a half at most. Being 7 or 8 I had a very short attention span.

So, I said I was bored and wanted to be done. After all of that work he had put in, all he said was okay. He rowed all the way back and we packed up and left. He would always take my cousin and I out on the little pond he had in the neighborhood and we would fish for hours. He wouldn’t fish, but he would watch us do it, and be just as happy as if he would have fished. Those times fishing with my grandpa and cousin fishing on the little boat “Queen Jane” are some of my fondest childhood memories that I’ll hold onto forever. That is my grandpa for you, he is a completely self-less man that just loves being out watching his family have fun. He would do anything for his family with no complaints. So thank you Grandpa for taking me fishing and passing on that love and appreciation for fishing.

When you’re a child you don’t always remember to say thank you and truly appreciate what someone is doing for you. So please take some time today to thank whoever took you fishing because they did not have to, but they did anyway. I know that not only did those times mean something to you but they meant something to that person as well. A little thank you could mean the world, and remember to be that person for someone else. Take a child fishing and show them just how amazing trying to catch a little trout can be, or in my case sunfish hanging out by the lilies. Thank you again grandpa, have a great birthday today!

Nathan Nelson