A Walk Down Memory Lane with Stan Faggerstrom
Although times have changed and protective lines have been drawn, we continue to be inspired by the message in this poem written by our Honored Angler, Stan Faggerstrom. Prior to his death at 96, Stan was beloved for his zest for a well-lived life. He wrote many articles about the importance of casting and how to catch his favorite fish, the elusive bass.
Since there remains no shortage of children in our families and neighborhoods who are longing for a role model to teach them how to fish and pass on the life lessons that go along with the experience, we thought this was as good time as any to pull this piece out of the archives and give it another run. Reading it just may inspire you to take a child in your life fishing.
By Stan Fagerstrom
None of us knows what God has in mind
For you or for me and sometimes we find
That He sends us down some unknown lane
I know it's true because it was made plain
I travel a bunch and when I'm on the road
I get so darn lonesome it's like pulling a load
And one day last fall I followed my rule
To always go for a walk and it led by a school
I stood there awhile and watched the kids play
As I turned to walk off I heard a voice say
"My name is Sammy and I wanted to see
Have you got a minute you could just talk to me?
My daddy got killed in that Desert Storm war
My mother says I'll never see him no more
I guess if I had only one special wish
It would be for a dad who could teach me to fish."
"Now look, kid," I said, as gruff as I could
"Don't be talkin' to strangers I could be up to no good,"
But I looked over my shoulder as I walked away
I was hoping he'd run off with the others to play.
I went back to my room and just sat there thinking
With a heart full of sadness and my spirits sinking
So a couple of hours later I jumped in my car
And drove back to the school, it wasn't that far
I waited near the fence until school was done
And I watched all the kids until I spotted that one
He'd gone maybe a mile, when he turned down a lane
And crossed over some tracks to a small house so plain
I walked up to that shack and knocked at the door
The woman who answered had been sweeping the floor
She looked up at me and said, "What do you want?"
And what I saw in her face will my dreams ever haunt
I said, "Don't misunderstand," not knowing what to say
"But I just ran into your Sammy today
He told me he wanted to learn how to fish
I'd sure like to help that little boy get his wish.
Well, she wasn't sure and it didn't surprise
But it was easy to see the want in her eyes
I gave her the number of some friends in that town
I said, "Check me out, I'll be back around."
I didn't get back to that place for awhile
But what happened when I did still makes me smile
I'd loaded my wagon so full of tackle and gear
That kid could fish until this time next year
His mother ran out the door as I came up the walk
"Mister," she said, "you'n me gotta talk."
That's when she told me she'd been praying you see
That somewhere out there might be someone like me
To help take the place of a dad her son wouldn't know
I told her I'd try but it was so hard not to show
The way my heart was pounding and my feelings inside
I knew then who had sent me to Little Sam's side
I stop and see Sammy every chance I get
We fish together and I've never yet
Felt lost or lonely when his hand's in mine
While we're together the sun seems always to shine
His mom's found a job on the other side of town
She told me they were moving last time I was down
And tonight when I kneel in my motel room to pray
I'll thank God again for sending Sammy my way
As I said before, we don't always know
What God has in mind as we reap and we sow
But He made my life richer, I can't measure the joy
Just by letting me help that one little boy.
Published in April 1993 issue of Washington Fishing Holes:
As Stan found when he wrote this poem years ago, taking a kid fishing can be a rewarding and memorable experience that offers numerous benefits for both the child and the adult. Here are some rewards you may enjoy next time you take a kid in your life fishing:
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