Spring and its different meanings
By Brock Antijunti
Well, it is that time of year again. Spring….that is what I am talking about. Spring has many different meanings to all of us. To me…spring is a time to pitch jigs for a walleye or two, it is a time get the garden growing, it is a time to start a new, fresh beginning for the year. And what I mean by that is….like watching a seed grow into something that is so unusual, but so fascinating to me.
Likewise, a child is someone that grows into this world, so
innocent, so gentle, but watching us and our every move. My daughter is
now 1 years old; I believe I am raising her the way every child ought to
be raised. From the day she was born, our black lab, Buddy was there. He
stood over her during the day….played
guard dog at night. Today she is running with him at his side….a companion
for life. Likewise for us, we need to show our children the world of nature,
fishing, hunting, the safety of the firearms, and this list can go on and
on.
The point that I am trying to reach is, when I was a little
boy, I had seen many other children get the opportunity to go fishing, hunting,
and even if it consisted of going for a cruise, in the pick up outside of
town to see what kind of wildlife was out getting their day started. I remember
each and every time. The deer, the ducks, the turkeys coming down from roost,
an occasional coyote….running but
always looking back, & you can never forget the cock pheasant w/ his
hens aside the road, picking at the gravel. God put these creatures on earth
for us for a reason. He wanted to show us the inner & outer beauty of
this place we call “home”.
When we call this home, we should follow our hearts and express
the deep meaning that hits that child of your life, even if it just the
neighbor’s kid, or your own child’s friend from school. I have
found out over time, the greatest out of all
feelings I have encountered, is that of taking that child fishing, watching
him/her harvest their first duck, pulling in that bass through the ice,
or just seeing them enjoy this place called home.
To me spring is a time of year to renew, taking that time,
getting that feeling of
gratitude, being thankful for what we have today, seeing the face of a child
at a period of their life when they are their happiest. I remember going
on a morning goose hunt w/ my step dad’s friend by Henry, SD. catching
jumbo perch on Spirit Lake, shooting my first pheasant by Clark, SD, pulling
in a sturgeon on the Bad River near Ft. Pierre, SD, turkey hunting by Kadoka,
SD, & bass fishing down on the Ft. Pierre National Grassland stock dams.
These are some of the few times I remember, and there is many more, some
stick out more than others, but I will remember them all till the day I
die.
One of the greatest things about all of these is keeping the
memories alive, in order for me to keep these….I must pass them on
to another child that is waiting to see the great world that is out and
beyond us all. It doesn’t matter if they
are 2 years old or 17 years old, boy or girl, I like the old saying…”get
hooked on fishing, not on drugs”. You’ll be surprised where
your own child ends up in the journey of life….when we all take the
time to do this.
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