I remember the summers I spent at my grandparent’s cottage in Grawn, Michigan on Bass Lake. On several occasions my cousin Tom and I – sometimes with my sister, Robin and sometimes with my cousin Heidi and often with my Dad, took the boat to one of several fishing spots on the lake. We would always catch some rock bass, occasionally some bluegill, a rare largemouth bass, and even rarer bullhead (catfish) and always several small perch. We never caught enough fish to even make a dinner for everyone back at the cottage, but we still loved to fish.
But then there was the day of the HUGE CATCH. I always remember the day clearly. We caught more than 100 perch in about an hour. We were pulling in fish as fast as we could bait our hooks. We used salmon eggs and worms. And then after spending hours cleaning the little perch, we had a wonderful meal that night.
The day of the big catch has stayed with me all these years. Something else has stayed with me, too. Even though there was only one big catch day in all the days and years I spent at that cottage, I went out fishing hundreds of times. The quiet. The feel of the breeze, the sound of rippling waves, and the smell of the lake are with me always.
Fishing isn't only catching. It's also a time to rest. A time to reset.
A time to rest. A time to reset
Rest. Reset.
Kirk Moore is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. He's been a member of the Mental Health Network Board and is also a therapeutic musician, playing music at the bedside for patients - to help bring about the relaxation response to help healing. Find out more at therapeuticmusic.org
