Lasting Impressions

It was this time last year that my dad got the news that Wired Outdoors was going to come and hunt on his property with my dad. He was beyond excited. It was the best hunt of his life. He was so proud. My mom sat praying for geese, knowing it may be his last hunt.

My mom recieved an e-mail from Larry at Smart Sticks, who was part of the hunt. He sent a message to all of his hunting buddies, saying:

Hi All,

Getting Ready. It's once again that time of year filled with great
anticipation. The time just before Fall, and hunting, and reunions with
hunting partners. Exactly at this time last year 8 hunters were getting
ready to hunt with Ron Maass. This year as we get ready to hunt, our
friend Ron is in Heaven.
The attached Word encourages us to Be Ready as we will indeed see
Ron again.
Fall is my favorite season!

Looking Forward,

Larry

The words he had attached were these:

Be Ready Luke 12:32-40 (NRSV)

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

"Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

"But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."

It makes me happy to know that he made such an impression on these folks, that after only hunting with him one time, they constantly remember him. I wrote back to Larry and thanked him for remembering my dad, and letting him know how much the hunt meant to my dad. He responded back with some photos, and this story:

It was indeed an honor to have shared this earth for a few hours with your Dad. Kindred spirits.

Will keep you guys updated as the PA team will be here 9-12 Sept this year to capture a little more WI goose footage. Their goal is to produce a complete episode of goose hunting including a highlight of our hunt with Ron.
Time will tell.

During our hunt: Since the blind was full, Your Dad and Eric Olsen stood in the cattails at the N end of the pond. A small group of geese went past and the blind and not shooting real well, we got all but one goose that escaped to the North. Ron promptly dumped that goose and instantly there were audible cheers of "All Right" (both for his good shot and that he helped take the whole flock). Later, Ron told me privately, "You know Larry, that cheer out there, that was the best part of the whole hunt for me". That still makes me happy.





It makes me happy too. I know my dad's heaven consists of a big pond, endless fields, and an unlimited amount of geese.