"Walk on through the wind,
walk on through the rain…"
I believe that when badness comes, it does not come for one of us, it comes for us all.
Just might not be your turn this time, that's all.
But it will always be, someone's turn.
Though.
I believe that when badness leaves, goodness follows. Some call it yin/yang or Karma. I call it, humanity.
I believe in goodness. I believe that when humanity embraces goodness, badness will no longer come. Won't be able to, because goodness wins.
I believe we were put here by goodness. Goodness inside wrapped in human skin.
And I know this to be an absolute fact, because today, on an Alabama dock, I saw a young boy smile.
As goodness came, and chased the badness away.
"…though your dreams be tossed and blown.
He lost everything that a child should never lose. Lost his house, lost his clothes, lost his toys, and lost the magic wand of childhood, his fishing pole.
He also lost his childhood to the tornado that struck Cullman, Alabama. No eight or nine year old should ever see what this young boy saw.
A life in ruins. Mom and Dad shell-shocked, his town destroyed, friends and relatives homes, gone. His childhood home, mostly missing.
For this young boy there will always be, a before the storm, and, an after the storm. Even in bright blue skies, the storm lurks. Follows him, badness, breaks him down, makes him cry even when he is safe.
Badness chases him.
His name is Ethan, and I will tell you no more about him, will not show you his face, will not show you his last name. Ethan will be a victim no more.
But know this, the Tackle The Storm Foundation exists because of Ethan. It came about through one sentence he told me, when he looked up at me and said exactly this: "I love to fish Mr. db, but I ain't got no more fishing gear, it's all gone."
Taken by the storm.
The badness that came for us all, but took one young angler.
"…walk on, walk on…"
Done good came today.
Came wrapped in a Bass boat.
Came in the shape of B.A.S.S. Elite Angler, Russ Lane.
This is how it went down, a neighbor friend of Ethan's dad, called Ethan up last night and told him that he was taking his son fishing today, and would Ethan like to come along.
Ethan jumped at the chance. So much so that even during summer vacation this young boy agreed to get up mighty early.
What Ethan wasn't told was that he wasn't actually going fishing with his dad's friend. Waiting just down the street from the launch ramp, was Russ Lane. Ethan was going to be going fishing with one of the best Bass anglers in the world.
Surprise, surprise. Goodness comes to a little boy.
I got there before Russ and had the boys (the man also brought his young child) talk to me as Russ swung his boat and truck into the parking lot behind them.
At which point I said, "You know what, you want to catch fish today, maybe we need to guarantee that. Ethan meet who you are really going to fish with today."
With that Russ pulled up right next to him and got out of his truck and said, "Hey Ethan, wanna go fishing."
And at that moment, the storm was gone.
And at that moment, childhood was back.
And at that moment, Ethan smiled.
And I had to turn away.
"…with hope in your heart…"
After competing in the Dixie Duel for the last four days and coming in 7th place, instead of jumping in his truck and heading down the road home to Prattville, Russ stayed, and he stayed for one reason.
Ethan.
"db, he's been through so much to lose everything like that, it's the least I can do, I wish I could do more."
You brought goodness Russ, that was everything anyone could do. Not only did Russ take him out fishing, he gave him a one-on-one lesson in how to fish, so good that when it was all over, Ethan had moved up from a spinning reel to the much more adventurous bait casting reel.
And I know he had fun, from out on the water I got this exact txt message:
"so far two fish caught…they are taking a skittles break…J"
And then when Ethan was back home I was told that, "he never stopped talking about it, never stopped saying how much he loved it and will never forget it."
And neither will I.
As I stood on the dock and watched the Bass boat become smaller and smaller as it idled out to the lake, I'm glad I was the only person on the dock, the only person at the ramp.
For when badness comes, it comes for us all.
But when goodness comes, it comes for us one at a time.
Comes for the children first, as it should.
And when the Bass boat with Russ and Ethan rounded the Jetty as I turned and walked back to the db/bb/rv ready to head back to Connecticut, for a moment I stopped, and looked up at the clear blue sky, and whispered…
"…thank you, for the done goodness, sent today."
"…and you'll never walk alone,
you'll never walk alone."
You'll Never Walk Alone
Rodgers & Hammerstein
