I want to share what I caught today.  I left a message that I was going fishing today and I did. I use to go a lot when I was younger and many of those times were in active addiction. After getting clean the first time and then married I hadn’t gone fishing much at all. I did take my children a few times when they were 6 and 8. We had a few joyful moments but they really didn’t like it to much. When our third child was about 9 my wife and I took her and she liked it. But by this time we were using again, so we didn’t go too often. After getting clean again, I talked about going but just never made the time to go. My sponsor is an avid bass angler and has a nice boat and all the toys. He took me out last year and it was great even though I didn’t catch a thing. Because the forecast for today was sunny and warm, I thought I would go. I went and got my license Friday for the bubble because of my disability and made plans with one of my best friends that I have known for over 35 years. He’s in recovery too. He told me that the bait shop opened at 4:30 so he would meet me at the lake by 5:00. I’m always early and I was excited like a little kid atChristmas time so I was there by 4:00am. Now it’s a state park so the gates were locked but I was sure that they would be open soon so I drove into the parking lot. I remember telling my self to go slow because it was very dark and even though I was not far from our main city you never know what could pop out in front of you. I love it when I’m right. In the flash of my headlights was a beautiful doe. Now depending who is reading this that may seem not a big deal but we don’t see that to often unless we drive a ways away from the city. The doe stopped about 20 feet from me and just looked at me and I, at her. We just looked at each other as to say “hey it’s a beautiful night isn’t it?” It lasted about 5 minutes but seemed like 20 and she went on her way. The young man who worked for the DEM was supposed to open the get by 5:00 but didn’t show until 6. He apologized for being late and shared that he had a hot date last night and just over slept. Me and the rest of the guys who were old enough to be his father smiled and said we understand. My friend and I got our gear out of the cars and sat on the dame wall surrounded by may flies and didn’t catch a thing. It was beautiful. We complained about the bugs, told fish stories and laughed for hours. He had to leave after a while but I stayed and just fished and talked to strangers who were also just enjoying the moment. Then I went to a morning meeting that I go to once in a while and was asked to shear. It is always an honor to shear what recovery and NA has done for me. So, just to recap. I’ve had about 4 hours sleep in two days. I waited at a locked gate for 2 hours to go fishing and caught nothing. I was attacked by thousands of may flies for 2 hours. And yet I had one of the best days I could ever hope for. I lived in the moment. Saw GODS beauty and was allowed to share the hope with others. Today I CAUGHT A BLESSED DAY.