I know it's a little late, but thanks, Dick!

Today is the 5th anniversary of my brother Dick's return to our Creator.  I have written this anecdote before, but I wanted to post it on this blog, as well.

As a kid, I used to hate fishing. It might have been different had I been able to catch fish. To top it off, I was jealous of my brothers Dick and Tom, because they always caught something. But my older brother had that something special when he fished, because he always caught the fish he was angling for. It was almost a vocation for him. He bought the books. He bought different poles and different reels. He learned what each of them was for and how to use them to his advantage. He’s fished and hunted in many different parts of the world. When he was fishing or hunting, no matter where it was, he was in his element.

As I grew older and—I’d like to think—smarter, I began to realize what he saw in the sport. I also realized that it wasn’t the catching that was important—it was the fishing. When I do go fishing, which is seldom these days, it gives me a chance to just “be” in beautiful surroundings and reflect on the goodness of God’s creation! I don’t even care if my hook hits the water! 

I don’t know if it’s the lesson he wanted to teach me, but teach me he did. I heard Dick say that he was “skunked” once—He didn’t even catch a cold! In fact, he is the one who taught me that old joke. But he was just as happy!

I’m not sure I ever thanked Dick for all of the lessons he taught me as my older brother, but I thought that today would be a good day to do so.
Thanks, Brother.