Raising Money for Twins

It was hard to watch him drive away. It felt like he was taking a part of my manhood with him. At the same time it was certain that he was taking away part of my past. Left in the driveway watching him go I was staring at my future. Even though I stood frozen, feet planted firmly on the cracked slope of our driveway, I was taking a big step towards a better life.

This was probably the first time that I have ever given something completely selflessly. So often I give only so I might get in return. My giving is part of some grand plan to get what I want. This time was different. I was getting nothing in return. The situation looked so dire that I actually tried to back out of the deal a few days earlier. I tried to get myself off the hook.

In so doing I nearly ruined the selfless act altogether. For it is not enough to give. In order for your giving to truly matter you have to give with the right attitude. Every man has been asked to do the dishes and had some smart remark in response. Even though we end up doing the dishes anyway, our wives are not standing in line to sing our praises. That is because we didn't do it with the right attitude. We have to give with a cheerful heart for the true impact to be felt.

So even as my fishing boat drove off into the midday sun I felt a tinge of joy in my heart. I knew this was the right thing to do for our growing family. I'm thankful that Arica was there for me when I had a little crisis of selfishness. If not for her I probably would have went fishing instead.

Twins don't wait until they arrive to start changing your lives. They start right in from the time you see that first ultrasound. Changes have to be made, and I'm glad we have the ability to make them.

After all, I can fish with my Father-in-law whenever the mood strikes. It's not like I sold all my fishing gear and moved to the dessert. Fishing opportunities will always be there. The opportunity to raise twins is not so common.

Since I sold the boat I found out we are having two girls. That means the financial need is going to be even greater. And the money we got for the boat will buy an awful lot of shoes.

Bass Fishing with Dad or Not

Even before I became a dad I wondered if my son would like the same things I do. I wondered if we would get to spend time together doing the same things my dad did with me. I plan on writing several entries relating to my incessant ponderings about my sons future and today I want to start with my favorite hobby, fishing.


When I was a kid my dad took me fishing a few times. I still remember catching my first bass on Voss Lake. We were motoring along pretty good and I had my line in the water. I got a yank that nearly pulled me out of the boat. I was sure that I had caught one of the thousands of stumps lurking just below the surface but it was a small bass instead. Somewhere at my mom's house there is a picture of a gap toothed kid holding up that fish and smiling. Even with this success I never really liked fishing. My Dad was a bass fisherman rather than a crappie fisherman like seemingly everyone else I knew. Bass fishing takes patience which has never been one of my strong suits especially as a child. You may fish all day just to catch one fish and this just seemed boring to me.

Since I graduated college I have been living in a town with 3 big lakes. After a few years I had all I could stand of watching people on the water so I bought a small 16' aluminum bass boat. It has a 50 hp Mercury motor that will skim me across the water at about 35 mph. It is a great boat for a guy just learning how to fish. Now I mentioned that my dad bass fished but he never fished in clear water lakes like I was attempting now. I had to start from the beginning. After a couple of years of limited success I was invited to go fishing with my father-in-law. Since then we have become fishing buddies and he has taught me a lot. He even invited me to fish in a tournament once last year and we made $280. I love bass fishing.

This brings me to my question. Will my son like bass fishing with me? I cannot wait for the day that I can replace my two dogs with a new fishing partner, my son. There would be nothing like teaching him how to fish while sharing time outdoors. I love to be out there on the water enjoying the outdoors whether I catch a lot of fish or not. Don't get me wrong the point is to catch fish and the more the better, but I think time outdoors between father and son is a great thing no matter what. I may not have fished much as a kid but I did spend time on the farm and hunting with my dad. Those are some of my very best memories of my childhood. I think that fishing offers my son and I that kind of opportunity to bond and share memories for a life time. I sure hope he will have fun when I finally get to take him out on the lake. I am already devising a back up plan that includes worms and much easier to catch bream. I will make whatever adjustments I need to make so he has fun. After all that is what being a dad is all about.