“Your judgments about another person say more about your own character than the character of the person you’re pointing a finger at.” - Alaric Hutchinson
YOUR thoughts, YOUR attitude, YOUR words and YOUR actions matter. Are there evil people? Yes. Are there great people? Absolutely! Anytime we judge and assign labels to any segment of society based on the actions of a few - be it blacks, whites, police, Muslims, Christians, athletes, etc. - we are not only wrong, we are proving our total ignorance. AND, we are placing ourselves on the same level of those we seek to condemn as their despicable actions are born largely out of ignorance. We get to choose today...our thoughts, our attitudes, our words and our actions. Will they be uplifting, encouraging, helpful, breathe life or will they tear down, discouraging, hurtful and breathe death? You will influence those within your circle, for good or bad...there is no indifference.
What Will Your Influence Be...?
Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Romans 12:15 (NIV)
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
I want to share with you this morning the remarkable, blessed beyond measure, day I had on Wednesday - into Thursday morning - with my youngest Tender Warrior, Landry. I am not sure exactly what the "message" will be in sharing it with you however my heart is incredibly full and I feel compelled to share it here.
My three boys and I love to fish. I wish we were better at it however we aren't. A number of times we have gone down to Galveston and fished one of the piers. Inevitably my two older boys grow tired of fishing and want to go home while Landry & I want to keep fishing. After pushing it another hour or so we always leave. Landry & I had talked about, and vowed, that one day we were going to go to that pier and fish all night. With me being on vacation, we determined that Wednesday would be that day.
Wednesday morning Landry & I had to get ready for our adventure. Our first stop was to the sporting goods store. With it only being Landry & I, we needed to purchase a drop net - a net you let down over the side of the pier, attached to a long rope, to bring up the larger fish we catch. We might not be good but darn we are optimistic! :) In addition to buying the net we bought two lawn chairs, more fishing tackle and a bigger cooler to hold all of our fish - optimism reigns!
We then headed to the grocery store because if you are going to fish all night you need snacks of course. I decided going in that I was going to let Landry get what he wanted with very little interference. It is amazing how good a boys choices can become when given freedom. Yes, we bought the Hot Tamales (for him) and Mike & Ike's (for me) however, he also chose beef jerky & sunflower seeds. I was the one who added the Lemon Drops! :) We were really bummed to not find any Bubble Yum however, we settled for some Hubba Bubba. Loaded with our snacks we went and checked out.
We went home and got everything ready. Snack bag packed. Tackle box loaded - appropriately labeled "Scooter 1", as Landry's nickname has always been "Scooter" (nobody recalls how or why this is his nickname) and we affectionately say we are "Scooters." Fishing poles ready to go. After a light lunch it was time to take a nap...we figured this was gonna be key if we were going to stay out fishing until our time on the pier expired at 5:00 a.m. Landry actually, surprisingly, had much more success with his nap than I did with mine.
The original plan was we would get to the pier at 10:00 p.m. - we figured the later start would give us the best chance to make it until 5:00 a.m. After waking from our naps we decided we would go at 9:00...or maybe 8:00 p.m. The excitement was rapidly building and we couldn't contain it! At 5:00 p.m. we decided we should go to Steak & Shake, get dinner and then head on down to Galveston.
Landry was very determined that I should get the Bacon Lovers hamburger with Cajun fries...he had gone with a friend to Steak & Shake, this is what he had and he just knew I would love it. When we sat down and the waiter came to our table I asked Landry to order for us...and he did like a Boss! :) He was quite proud telling the waiter that we would both have the Bacon Lovers hamburger with Cajun fries. He did allow me to choose my own shake. It was very sweet, at least 5 times during dinner - which we rapidly ate...the excitement of fishing continuing to build - he asked me if I liked my dinner. He wanted to make sure that his Dad really did like what he had recommended...it was very important to him.
After dinner we hoped in the truck - did I tell you all I had gotten a truck?!?! - and headed south down I-45...only two more stops to go until we hit the pier. We stopped by Buc-ee's to get ice for our fish we would be putting in the cooler. We were in & out in 5 minutes. We then headed to the Bayou Bait Shop right off exit 1 as we entered Galveston. We grabbed our shrimp bucket and headed in. We got a quart & pint of shrimp (this would prove to be more than needed) as well as a pound of squid. The kind young gentleman who always helps us stated that folks have been catching a lot of sharks between the pier on 61st street and the pier on 91st street - the one we would be going to. The excitement is now palpable as it has been a dream of mine to catch a shark. We pay and head out to the pier.
As we drive, shrimp water sloshing all over Landry as he holds the bucket between his feet, we talk about the possibility of catching a shark. We also talk about the fact that if people are catching sharks at the pier on 61st street and at the pier at 91st street that must mean there is a lot of sharks between 61st & 91st street...were people are swimming as we drive by. We decide we won't think, or talk about, that any more.
We park and load up our wagon. We owned it Friends! We had our tie downs, wagon and we got all our gear to fit in one trip. Once we have paid to enter the pier I let Landry pick were we will spend the night. I do note that we are walking by a whole lot of spots were others catch fish...he is focused and picks a spot about 3/4's of the way down the pier. He also picks the side we never fish on... At about 7:45 p.m. after getting everything set up, we finally get our lines wet. The sun is still up so we hope to catch some Sheephead fish. They are a beautiful fish & great to eat. They tend to hang out by the pillars on the pier. I kid you not, within 10 minutes of starting we both get our lines hung up...at the exact same time! Augh! We can't get them loose & ultimately have to cut our lines. I am back in my chair resetting up our riggings. We agree that we don't want to fish for Sheephead anymore! :)
About 15 minutes later a fish hits my line, and almost immediately, Landry's. I real mine in quickly, a catfish too small to keep, and help Landry with his. His is a beautiful big whiting, a keeper! :) You see y'all, we needed the cooler & ice!
The next couple of hours pass. We fish & talk, enjoying a truly beautiful night. At one point Landry says, "Dad, how come you haven't been writing your notes?" Every morning, after reading my Bible & a leadership book, I write my Beautiful Bride & each of the boys a note. It just gives me time to really think about each one of them, about what is going on in their lives and to offer encouragement & support any way I can. Being on vacation, I hadn't written a note in all of 3 days. I explain this to Landry and he says, "Dad, I look forward to those notes." Note to self, love, encouragement & support don't take a vacation and the little things mean so much more than we know.
At about 10:45 p.m. I was FaceTiming with Gehrig, my 16-year old. My oldest two boys are playing in a softball league this summer and they had a game that ended at 10:00 p.m. I was getting the run down on how the game had gone. I was holding my phone in my right hand and my fishing pole in the left. Suddenly my pole jerked violently and the line took off hard towards the right. The pole had a very significant bend in it. I tell Gehrig to hold on, I have a fish. I set the phone down in the cup holder and stand up along the edge of the pier. Landry & I are excited...this isn't just any little fish. I begin reeling it in. Right when its head breaches the water Landry yells, "It's a shark!" Now put your visions about Jaws away, this is no Great White. It is a Bonnethead Shark, a member of the Hammerhead Shark family, and it will ultimately measure a little more than 2'. Just the same, it is a shark! The next several minutes are a blur as we get the shark up on the pier, take the hook out of it's mouth...very carefully, show Kath & the boys the shark on FaceTime, etc. By the time it is all said and done we realize we forgot to take a picture. Doh! Landry keeps telling me over & over again how happy he is that I finally caught a shark.
Another story I have to share with you is absolutely hilarious. I had caught a couple of whiting in a row and Landry was becoming a little discouraged because he had not caught anything in a while. I told him to rare back and cast his line as far as he could towards the left...to the spot I was catching fish. He reared back and casted as far as he could...You know the expression "hook, line & sinker?" Yeah, we lived it! Landry's line snapped and his whole rigging went flying out into the bay. We both sat there, mouths agape, and then we heard the faint splash as his rigging crashed out into the water. And then we laughed hysterically. He then informs me that we will never cast as far as he can ever again.
At some point after Midnight Landry asks if we can move further down the pier. This is no small feet as we have 4 fishing poles, a wagon, two chairs, a cooler, a tackle box, a snack bag & a drop net. After reminding myself that it is about him, not about me, I tell him to choose another spot. In three trips we have everything moved and we are back to fishing.
I would guess it was sometime around 1:15 a.m. or so that Landry proclaims we will make it until 5:00 a.m. At this point we have caught a shark, eaten a little of each snack, except the Lemon Drops and caught 7 or 8 keepers...and too many pesky crabs to count! Fast forward to 2:30 a.m. I had casted out and I could tell by the angle that Landry had cast, his line had crossed mine. When we reeled our lines in it was a tangled mess. There was no choice but to cut our lines, save the riggings, re-set up the lines and start over. Landry looked at me and said, "Do you think it is time to go?" We agreed it was.
We packed everything up & headed to the truck. As we were walking Landry stated he was starving. I told him I had one more surprise for him if he stayed awake. We got everything loaded up in the truck and headed for home. As we drove we relived all the fun we had, talked about the shark and began the debate about when we would clean the fish. I tell Landry that perhaps this is the beginning of a new tradition. He asks what I mean. I tell him that every year on my vacation we will take one night and go on a fishing trip. He protests, "We are only going to do this once a year?!" At about 3:15 a.m. we pulled into Denny's - what is a night out without a trip to Denny's?!?! We are getting goofy now...we are exhausted. About half way through dinner, or is it breakfast, perhaps just a snack, we agree that the fish will be cleaned after we wake up. We wrap up our meal, get home, take showers and are sound asleep at about 4:15 a.m. A glorious day has ended.
There are so many stories, so may memories, I honestly don't know what to say is the point of this Happy Friday. I will simply encourage this; whatever is your pier, whatever is your shark, whatever is your special time with your son or daughter - no matter the age - please pursue it. I promise you, while you may be very tired, you will not regret it.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at
kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
