Jackson: An old fisherman gives thanks for his blessing

For this column to publish on Thanksgiving Day is a bonus to me.

I'm writing here without a single drop of drama, just memories of me living a life with my clocks moving ahead at an alarming rate of speed.

I am thankful for all the great happenings, despite a setback 6 ½ years ago when I came face-to-face with a horrible medical issue that could have canceled my ticket. I am thankful I used my head instead of my impetuous ways and forced myself to help defeat this horrible physical interloper.

After I discovered a chink in my armor, I went under the knife and listened to the drip-drip of painkiller in the IV. Had that happened 20 years earlier, it could have been enough to create a state of confusion and depression.

Thankfully, other elements helped to forge the real story, which goes way back to the lessons in life and the outdoors handed to me by my late father. Actually, my mother's involvement and support was as important as Irv's never-ending instructions.

As a family that often struggled to make ends meet, we managed to catch lots of fish on Wisconsin's Caldron Falls Reservoir, the Peshtigo River, the Wisconsin River, as well as numerous Ontario lakes. That was when a dollar could be stretched to help provide a venue for jumbo walleye, pike, and muskie catches.

I am very thankful for the hundreds of tutelage hours as well via exposure to the wilds of the northwoods. The other kids on my block seemed to be more well off, but they expressed some envy because of my fishing exploits.

I am thankful for having a father and mother who taught me the difference between right and wrong.

I am thankful I grew up in Chicago's Albany Park, where it was a common occurrence for most residents on a block to know everyone else. I learned to fish the ponds with friends from my block as well as occasional jaunts to the North Branch of the Chicago River.

It was a time in my life as a kid when it was safe to go to the local variety store at 9 p.m. and get ice cream for my mother. I am very thankful that this middle-class neighborhood was free of gang influence and heartache. No drive-by shootings. The only gunfire-like sounds were the firecrackers set off on the Fourth of July.

I am thankful for the trust my parents showed me when I started driving and tested their patience with adolescent all-nighters in a rental boat on Lake Zurich.

I am extremely grateful for the gifts my daughters gave me - our grandchildren. When I hold the youngest in my arms I can absorb her innocence. When I speak to the oldest, Josh, now 18, I hear his excitement as he prepares to start college. He's also an accomplished film writer and producer at this early state of life. And my older granddaughter, Jillie, is a budding actress.

The circle of life is a never- ending process that feeds my hopes and dreams.

I am thankful for life's gifts I've received and also thankful you've taken the time to read this.

• Contact Mike Jackson at angler88@comcast.net, catch his radio show 7-9 a.m. Sundays on WGCO 1590-AM (live-streamed at www.1590WCGO.com) and get more content at www.mikejacksonoutdoors.com.