Time with the boys - by Stephen

Can you remember when someone took up time with you; hunting, fishing, playing sports or just sitting around watching a game; spending time together? Children are a blessing from God, He’s given to us to care for, love, nourish and let go. Spending time with your children is so precious. I have had the opportunity to do that.



While most teams in the Magnolia Crappie Club pair up with friends or relatives, I choose to pair up with my two sons. It’s something special about getting out on that water with your sons, teaching the sport, learning about what they have going on in their life and most of all enjoying what God has created.

This past tournament was an awesome experience for me and my son Austin. Friday was a lot of sweating and moving and NOT catching any fish but it was fun. We were able to talk about things that only can be talked about in the boat….Austin is a senior this year in high school. It finally set in with me that he is just about ready to leave the roost.



Man were has the TIME gone. It only seems like yesterday that my wife and I were bringing him home from the hospital. This is the second year for me and my boys to fish with Magnolia Crappie Club. They don’t always get to fish due to sports, but they love the sport. A couple of stories from our trips, the first tournament that we fished in was in October last year at Grenada.

This was the first tournament I’d ever fished. I’ll always remember that tournament morning when just after start time we’re slow trolling 16’ B’n’M Capps & Coleman Rods with B’n’M Minnow rigs; my youngest son Matthew (12) on the right, my oldest son Austin (16) on the left, I’m standing in the middle behind them when all of a sudden Matthew’s outside pole buries about 4 pole eyes down in the water. He grabs the pole, sets the hook and the fight is on. What a nice 16” crappie. My heart is pounding, Matthew is flopping this fish in and out of the water. I’m hollering for Austin to get the net, Austin is screaming, “Where is the net?”
About that time Matthew’s middle pole buries down in the water, he sees it grabs it with his other hand, now he has two fish on a one time. He’s hollering, I’m hollering and Austin is hollering. Finally, I find the net dip one fish, then the other. Matthew sets back in the seat, looks at me and says “you got to be quicker on the net dad”.

It wasn’t long before Austin snagged a good fish, then Matthew again, then Austin. Next thing I knew there was 5 boats around us; we had caught 6 fish in a matter of 20 minutes. We didn’t catch another fish all day, but that TIME that we had together will last forever.

Everything that a friend of mine had taught me about crappie fishing (trolling) went out the window that morning, but as far as me and my boys, we were HOOKED. They were able to fish a few more tournaments with me before Baseball practice started clogging their weekends.

Matthew ended the year fishing with me in the MCC Championship tournament; Austin started this year with me at Sardis. TIME is not guaranteed to us.

Our days are numbered; our TIME with our children is shorter than we think. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Spend TIME with your children showing them the way they should go. Before you know it they will be gone. Stephen