Sam Rayburn Lake in Texas. This is an area where me and my family fished when I was a kid. We kind of grew up on this lake. That long point that stretches from left to right is where me, my brother and my dad used to go catfishing at. I remember one time we were walking down to the point and saw a snake in the water about in the middle where the land gets thin. I told my dad to get a big rock and kill it. He told me that you can’t kill a snake in the water with a rock. He would just swim away. I asked him to at least try. Of course he had to please his kid. So he picked up what was really big rock to me at the time and lifted it over his head and slammed it down at the snake. Before the rock even hit the snake I saw it swim off. So we got splashed with water and the snake swam free. My dad was right. So we went on to the point caught a bunch of catfish. But dad always caught the most because his Zebco 33 had a brain in it and it knew how to catch fish. And right down from where I was standing is a place that the whole family would fish. One time my mother caught more than anybody else that day. Yep, she caught a whole stringer of bream with her Zebco 33 on a blue rod. I mean she really caught the stringer!! Someone else’s fish!! How many times does that happen in a life time??!! Oh and one time we were fishing over near the point that is sticking out on the right side of the picture. That day my mother was trying to break me from spitting so every time she saw me spit she would slap me. Hey, spitting is rude, at least in public. And at that age I didn’t care where I was, I would spit. I was kinda country, ok? But I was at least 50 feet from her and I thought I could get away with it. Surely she wouldn’t see me, right? “pppitewy,” Quietly I did. “Hey Nate, come’ere.” Yeah mom? “HEWACK!!” on the left cheek. BWEAAAA!! I said. Didn’t spit no more that day!! Didn’t quit fishing either! I was a fisherman. But right before we left I asked could I please make one more cast, please please please?? So of course they said yeah. As soon as the cork hit the water, it was like the cork was a rock!! WHAM!! A big ole bream for the last fish of the day. I was so happy. Hey, a few tears for discipline but a whole day of happiness before and after the tears. I look at that father and child at the bank and wonder where the rest of the family is. Or is that all of the family? Regardless, I pray that 23-25 years from now they remember that day like they were still in it. I can go back to this lake at any time and look around and see how things have changed, like the banks that used to be hard clay and had cliffs that we would fish off of. But now they are lined with cement links that are covered in grass. But every time I go I will always have the one thing that will never change and never be gone and always be so wonderful. Memories. These are what reminds me of how much they love me and how much I love them. These are the things that will never die.
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