One of my best memories is when we went to North Dakota and rented a cabin near a lake. We were there for 2 weeks and just fished, swam, and hiked. We would go out everyday in the boat and fish - my dad, mom, my sister and me.

One day, just my dad and I went out while my mom and sister went shopping. We talked about a lot of stuff. He talked about when he was a kid and what school was like for him - the pranks he and his brothers pulled on each other and his first girlfriend (wasn't mom). He very seldom talked about his childhood so I listed and felt so honored and very special. Around lunch we floated to a nearby bank, anchored, and ate the sandwiches he had made for us before we left in the morning. Every fish we caught that day we threw back. When we got back to the cabin, my mom and sister were there...they wondered why we weren't very successful.... I remember dad saying that successful fishermen don't necessarily have to bring home a catch - and he winked at me.

My dad passed away in 1998....I miss him.

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A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults.