‘Captain Josh’ goes fishing!

Last Friday my ten year old grandson, Josh, went fishing in HIS very own boat and he took his dad along for the ride. Let me tell you about it.

When we lived at the farm in Pitts we had a six acre lake that I kept well stocked with all kinds of fish but it was those bass that I loved to catch and fry more than all the rest. It makes my mouth water just to type these words!

Not long after we moved there my oldest son, David, bought a 12 foot fishing boat with a battery-powered trolling motor that he left there for anyone to use. I used to enjoy taking all of my grandkids fishing or boat riding in it and they all loved it. But it was my grandson, Josh, who loved it the most. Every time he came to the farm, which was often, he’d immediately go to the boat and ask me to take him  fishing. 

Ever since we moved from the farm Josh has been asking his parents to buy a fishing boat. But their wise counsel to him was, “Save your money so you can buy one yourself.” I’m sure that sounded a little “Pie in the sky” to his ten-year-old ears until Uncle David, and his soon-to-be driving daughter, bought a car that needed the garage space that the boat was taking up.

So the next time Josh brought up the boat thing, his dad said, “You know, Josh, your Uncle David might be willing to sell his boat now that he needs the garage space. Why don’t you ask him about it?”

And so the high level buy-sell negotiations began between Josh and his uncle David and they struck a deal: Ten equal monthly payments due on the first day of the month from Josh’s own piggy bank until it’s fully paid for. It was with those terms, agreed and settled, that Uncle David brought the boat to Josh’s 10th birthday party at his grandpa Jones’ pool. But, it wasn’t a done deal until Josh signed the buy-sell agreement and got a valid Bill of Sale.

But, before he could use his newly acquired boat, Josh had to register it. So, with a little help from his dad, Josh filled out the required online application and had to wait until last week when the mail finally brought the registration documents and decals all in Josh’s own name: Joshua William Milby. He was so excited when they came he brought me his wallet and pulled out his registration to show me with a big smile on his face. Naturally I congratulated him and said, “Josh, I’ll bet you’re the only kid in your 5th grade class that has his own boat”… to which I got another big smile!

So it was last Friday that “Captain Josh” and his dad got to launch HIS own boat in Lake Joy for its maiden voyage under his ownership. What a feeling that must have been for Josh!

You may be thinking, “what a cute story” or something along those lines by now, but think a little deeper about the life lessons that Josh has learned along this adventure:

• The value of money and the need to save for what you want
• His own version of “the art of a deal”
• Making monthly payments
• The process of buying and registering a vessel with the state
• And most of all, the love of a father and uncle who wanted to help him achieve a dream!

No, they didn’t catch any fish on the maiden voyage, but what they did catch is the beginning of a new, unforgettable dream in a little boy’s heart that will last a lifetime!

I won’t ask you, “What’s in your wallet?” like that pesky TV commercial does, but I will ask you what kind of a dream can you make come true for your grandkids.

Thanks for reading All About Seniors, see you next week!

Bill Milby is a Director of Visiting Angels® of Central Georgia, a non-medical, living assistance service for seniors. If you have questions or comments about this column you can reach him at william.mercylink@gmail.com or search for us at  https://www.facebook.com/VisitingAngelsofCentralGA