The morning of that outing dawned bright and calm, with just a slight southwesterly breeze to ripple the surface of the water. That disclosure alarmed me, and I was apprehensive until the day of the trip. In my conversations with the director of that home during the planning stages for that outing, I learned those children were either abandoned, abused, or so troubled that the home might be their last stop before they were transferred to a juvenile detention center.

The trip I am alluding to was the day we hosted a group of children from what was once called an orphans'В home and was now a group home for children without a stable parent or a caring relative in their life. The unspoken position behind this was to cater to underprivileged children, those who might never step onto a boat or catch a fish or enjoy a day on the water. Our editorial director, Fred Golofaro, was the inspiration behind that program, and it became an instant hit with the fisherman readers who donated to it. That situation was brought to light in a much more convincing manner many years ago, when I was the New England organizer of a trip sponsored by the Fisherman Magazines Take A Kid Fishing Fund. LifeвЂ™s lessons are always there to be reflected on if we are perceptive enough to discern them.ДЇrom that time forward, I have considered myself to be very fortunate for what I had and what I have been able to acquire and to share. I recall the words of sister Mary James:В вЂњI cried because I had no shoes until I met a man with no feet.вЂќ A pair of new boots or a new reel would have been nice, but I became more appreciative of the worn rubber boots, sneakers, and the handline I was fishing with at that time. The fact is, we were one of the many families of the have-nots and that type of existence permitted us to have a much deeper sense of appreciation for what we had.Дad always said if you think your situation is bad, just look around and you will find others living in tougher conditions. I never did get those boots, and I survived quite well, but that conversation and the boot incident helped set the tone for my lifeвЂ™s attitude towards understanding the difference between wanting and needing.

I was completely ashamed with myself after that conversation. She promised to take a dollar a week and put it aside and suggested I save the small change I collected from errands and odd jobs, which I usually shared with my siblings and occasionally made small-scale household purchases with until we came up with the necessary amount. I knew deep down in my heart that we could not afford those boots, but I was selfish and jealous because two of my classmates had a pair they used on our hiking and camping jaunts, while I wore a pair of sneakers with very little tread on the soles.ДЄ few days later, my mother took me aside and explained the dire straits of our financial situation. I was feeling like the weight of the world was on my shoulders because I was not living up to my fatherвЂ™s expectations. I was 13 years old my father had passed away several months earlier and his last wish was that I would help mom by becoming the head of the household. Absent all the generous social programs available today, for five days a week, mom was caring for the children of a few nearby working mothers, makingВ and repairing dresses and clothing and cooking meals and pastries for a number of families of working parents. She told me that while that pair of leather hiking boots was important to me, she was having a difficult time making ends meet for me and my two siblings. My mother was right В she almost always was.

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