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Welcoming Words Newsletter           September  2024

By Debbie Sorensen

Today’s Focus:  Leave a place better than you found it.

My dad was a great storyteller. He had a way of coming up with a statement that would sort of come out of the blue and catch a person off guard. The words were usually simple and to the point. Lessons we learned were often caught rather than taught. Today, I’m remembering how Dad showed me how garbage could make me a better citizen. 

Application:

Garbage can reflect what type of a person we are. In this case, Dad and I were fishing on Little Belt Creek for my spring birthday. I was so happy with the gift of time together with him. We rolled out of bed a little early so we could get our lines in the water, hopefully, pull in some fish, and return home to get chores done before breakfast.

As we drove down the hill, we discussed our strategy, where we’d park, and if the fish were hungry. We made our way through a barbed wire fence and checked for a likely pool where the small Brook Trout would be found. Mom liked to bread those mountain trout with cornmeal and fry them crispy and delicious. We could almost taste the delicacy already.

Dad had checked with the neighbors for permission to cross their land to get to the creek. Pushing our way through the brush and undergrowth, we headed for our spot. To our dismay, we found an old tire lodged against a tree, filled with beer cans and trash. What an unsightly mess. There would be no fish caught in that quagmire.

Why it matters:  

We looked at each other and figured the best thing we could do, was to clean it up. We leaned our fishing rods and bait cans against the fence and went to work. In 20 minutes, we had the junk out of the water and hauled to the truck. What a difference it made in our little corner of the world. We even saw a few fish swimming around in the space we had just cleaned. Hooray!

It was time to head home for chores. Instead of being crabby and disappointed, we found ourselves encouraged by how much better the creek bank looked. Seeing the brook trout gliding around the water was the best. We knew just where we could wet a line the next time we went fishing. 

Dad looked at me and grinned. “It’s always better to leave a place better than you found it.” What a fine guy my dad was. And a good citizen.

Contact:  Debbie Sorensen at [email protected]