My Dad’s Fish Story - Episode 4
Image by Nathan Dumlao
Well, now you’ve read the story Dad sent me. Here’s a poem he tacked on to the end:
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems ALL uphill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you WANT to smile, but you have to sigh –
REST, if you must, but -DON’T YOU QUIT!
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us some-time learns,
And many a Failure turns about
When he might have WON – had he stuck it out;
DON’T GIVE UP – though the pace seems slow –
You may succeed with ANOTHER blow!
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man.
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have CAPTURED THE VICTOR’S CUP;
And he learned TOO LATE when the night slipped down
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out –
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you NEVER can tell how close you are;
It MAY be near when it seems afar.
So STICK TO THE FIGHT when you’re hardest hit –
it’s when things seem worst THAT YOU MUSTN’T’ QUIT!
“I don’t know who wrote this, Mike, but I recommend it. It’s mighty strengthening medicine for us both.
I love you.
“Dad
11/16/52”
I was 14 when he sent that to me. I’m glad he did, for at 14, like most 14-year-olds, I was having a rough time. Maybe that’s why he sent it to me. Maybe that’s why I went ahead and did some of the things I did way back then and as recently as 84.”