I just have to show you this sailfish caught by my Uncle Paul.  It still hangs over the fireplace in the Lake House where we were staying this past week.  The fact that he could maneuver reeling in a fish as big as he was, and that he stuck it out for 1 hour and 31 minutes says a lot about him.  He was 74 in this photo.  Notice his “fishing pants”. Pretty dapper don’t you think?  And he does not look the least bit ruffled after fighting this big fish for 1 1/2 hours!

My Uncle Paul loved boats and being on the lake.  It all started on Yellow Lake in northern Indiana at a church camp.  The tale is told that as a youth at camp he rigged up a sailboat using a canoe and sheets from his bed because he wanted to go faster in the boat.

His entire life he was happiest when he provided the opportunity for others to have a good time on the water.  He kept his boats in pristine condition. ( like those pants I suppose). I remember as a young child being on a house boat on the Ohio River with his family.  On Lake Tippy I remember him pulling me behind the boat on water skis for the first time.  This began many years for me of loving to water ski, hopping the wake of the boat on a slalom ski.

Uncle Paul seemed to be a different person at the lake.  At home he was quite serious, and as a child I was a bit intimidated by him.  He seemed very intense away from the lake. As a renowned home builder in his community, he designed and built the best homes in town, according to his reputation.  Integrity and quality were his trademarks.

When he died, I was asked to give his memorial.  What happened that night at the Funeral Home during visitation spoke volumes about who he was.  There was a line all the way out the front door of the Funeral Home and around the outside of the building, of people waiting to pass by the coffin and pay their respects to my aunt.  Those people represented all walks of life in every way, and I stood in awe of that sight!  In all my ministry, I had never seen anything like that.

As I write this to you today, I am a little surprised that I chose to write about him.  He was not the relative to whom I felt the closest.  In fact, quite the opposite.  But what I realize is that he provided the opportunity for me to enjoy many summers at the lake, and it was his greatest joy to do just that. There are many wonderful memories for me of those summers!  And he was a man who clearly impacted many lives in his community!

The scripture I chose for his memorial service was Micah 6:8….”and what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”  Thanks Uncle Paul, for who you are, and for what you gave to me!

nk