Visitation for the late Mike Haynes will be held Thursday afternoon and his funeral will begin at noon Friday at Summers & Son Funeral Home. A few decades ago, Coach Haynes wrote a popular Outdoors column for the News-Democrat & Leader. His older son Chris says his dad had several columns written which were never published. Chris submitted this one as a Guest article for The Logan Journal. He felt it would be appropriate at this time, and we couldn’t agree more.
The old man’s hands shook as he tried again to tie a hook. Every time he thought he had found the eye, it seemed to disappear. Although frustrated, he knew getting impatient would only make matters worse.
Not so long ago he could have finished the job in a fraction of the time it now took. His hands, his eyes were so sure then. What happened? Yeah, he knew he was getting on in years but inside he didn’t feel that much different. The young man he had been, was still there, but time and gravity had taken their toll.
Still with all it’s frustrations, it was wonderful to be out on the water again. Just breathing the air brought back sweet memories of days gone by. How it was when just he and his son would go out and spend a day on the lake. Catching a bunch of fish seemed so important then, but now he realized companionship was what he had really been seeking.
Looking back, he couldn’t help but be grateful for the many wonderful experiences they had shared together. Priceless. Although never a rich man, by any stretch of the imagination, he knew he would never trade those memories for all the money in the world.
He still enjoyed the challenge of catching fish, but now he went mostly to relive the memories of days gone by. As the boat gently rocked in the breeze, he remembered when he was a younger man, teaching his son to fish. The endless questions that started in that old, beat up Ford pick up truck on the way to the lake. The youthful enthusiasm there on every trip, as if it were a sure thing they were in for a great day. The truth be known, even if in for a great day, there were just some days when the fish didn’t bite.
He could still feel his son nestled in his arms on his first deer hunt. He could feel the boy’s heart beating through the many layers of clothes his mom had made him wear to fight off the cold. Looking down, he wondered if maybe, his son could feel his heart beating too.
When hunting and fishing, anticipation is the appetite that keeps an outdoorsman hungry and coming back for more. Most folks don’t have the patience to stay through the lean times anymore and therefore never get a chance to experience the good. He knew his son was different in this respect. Although there were many times they had come home empty-handed, the boy was always ready to go again.
Everyone thought he was making a great sacrifice giving up the best part of every deer season trying to help his son get a deer. For awhile, he even believed it himself. Then the day came when the boy was old enough to hunt alone and his dad found himself aching for his company.
As his skills as a hunter and fisherman matured, the boy became a man. Even though they were still father and son, more importantly they had become companions. As a boy, the old man had tried to encourage his son by telling him how much better a hunter and fisherman he was going to be than his dad. In a few short years, it had become the truth. Now the son was the one who took the lead, made suggestions about where to go, kidded his dad about his mistakes.
He could still feel the tightening in his chest every time his son would do something where he would see bits and pieces of himself. His crooked grin, the way he would arch an eyebrow whenever he started telling one of his tales. It was like getting a glimpse in the mirror many, many years ago. It made him feel a trace of immortality, as if he knew when he was gone, there would still be a part of him left in this world.
When the boy became a young man, they still hunted and fished together from time to time. But now, his son had his own life to live and friends to share it with. The old man understood it was a part of growing up, but still missed his presence. His son’s world had gotten bigger, while his own had gotten smaller.
A slight tug on his line brought him back to the present. “Where was I?” he said, this is a fine time for a fish to be interrupting my daydreaming. Slowly, he drifted back to another time. He could still hear the childish laughter of his son in the boat as he pulled in yet another bluegill.
The sun on his face felt good as it chased away the morning chill. Sweet memories warmed him up even more. These days, memories were all that were left. A life so full, can be so empty without the ones you love.
People noticed that the old man came to the lake more lately. He always anchored in the same spot and stayed sometimes till well after dark. It was as if he were waiting for something. That’s how they found him one day, out alone in his boat. Several people said, that’s just how the old man would have wanted to leave this world, out on the lake fishing. If they only knew, a few even said he was now in a far better place. If they only knew.
Slowly, it came to him. Looking down, he was surprised to see the body he had as a younger man. All the aches and pains of the past few years were gone. Suddenly, he saw the beauty he had fallen in love with so many years ago walking towards him. How could this be? Things were still unclear, what happened, where was he? Then he heard a young voice saying, “Hey Dad, can we go fishing?” Turning around, he knew, this must be heaven.