Sizing up the Catch

Fishing at the Blakely Mountain Dam on Lake Ouachita.

There isn't much that's more terrifying than the moment your teenage daughter comes to you and tells you they have a boyfriend. I was really surprised that my oldest daughter went as long as she did before she found the "one." I would often tease her playfully about it, but she never seemed to care much about those kinds of things. Boys were always hanging around at trapshooting practice to talk to her, and she was always friendly. She just had really high standards I suppose. 

A few months ago, she told me about this particular young man that she really enjoyed being around. Then, soon after, she texted me from school to say he asked her out! I was happy for her, but as my thoughts turned to "mom things" I decided we needed to size up this big catch. 

During our Christmas break, we invited him to go fishing. This would be the moment we could determine if he was the real deal, so to say. Of course, we had to invite Papa to help out. So, I set the stage - 7:00 am on a Saturday morning. This would be the first indicator. I told myself if I hear anything like "he said that's too early for a Saturday  morning" he would be dead in the water. Much to my surprise, he was on board. 

Next, when we pulled up in our little Prius bogged down by the weight of the 4 bodies and fishing gear, we would determine the next quality of his character. Would he be prepared? Does he even own a fishing pole? He popped around the corner with all of his gear in hand and a big smile on his face. Well, he passed that test, too. 

Finally, when we got to the spot we chose for fishing that day. Could he tie a line? Did he know what type of bait to use? How was his cast? This young man could do all of those things, and I was really starting to like him! (UGGGH!) 

On top of all that, he even helped the little ones when their lines got tangled. It was a cold and rainy day and he was just as happy as he could be, hanging out with all of us. It was not such a great day for fishing. However, I managed to be the only one to catch anything. Or was I? 

I looked over to see the two of them smiling and having fun together, and I found yet another moment to be thankful for the divine art of fishing.