Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

In my wildest dreams, I never would have imagined the crowd that I saw on Saturday morning at Rainbow Fly Shop for my book signing, book selling, and fly selling.  While I knew that my closest family members and a few buddies would show up, it was the amount of other folks that was a surprise.  Folks I had never met showed up.  People that I had only interacted through social media came.  One of my buddies from Clinton came and another friend came all the way from Springfield!  I'm not stating these things in order to brag or boast, but rather to describe the support that I am so fortunate to have.  

We, as a community of fly fishers, are an amazing group.  I have heard countless stories of guys cutting flies off the end of their lines and handing them to other anglers just to hopefully share in the joy of catching fish.  I've watched veteran anglers take young people or adults that are new to the sport under their wings and give them some pointers to make them more successful.  I've watched people volunteer at casting clinics, demonstrate how to tie flies, and create organizations like Frontline Fly Fishing which use fly fishing as a form of therapy for folks with PTSD.  I am fortunate to be a part of this small, but mighty community and that was on display on Saturday morning.  

I love this sport with all my heart and it is an absolute pleasure to share that passion with other like-minded folks.  It's a special thing to love a sport and it's an even better thing to share it with others.  Swapping stories, trading flies, and hitting the water together is a beautiful thing.  I believe that we were put on this earth to touch as many lives as possible.  The point of life, in my opinion, is not the accomplishments that one can show at the end of a life but rather the impressions and impacts that one made on the lives of others.  While I try my best to live by that ideal, my life was touched by the thoughtfulness, kindness, and generosity of so many people on Saturday morning.  Whether you were there or not, thank you for any and all support that you show to me.  Whether it's a book purchase, a couple of clicks, or a comment on a video, I want you to know that it is appreciated and that you make my life better as a result.  So again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you!