The summer came to an abrupt halt as my three daughters loaded their backpacks and marched off into the first day of the school year. As they began 6th, 3rd and 2nd grades, I reflected on the giggles, questions, snuggles and smiles of these rambunctious girls.
Our family owns and runs SaraBella Fishing. We build fly fishing rods, especially for women and girls. We believe that women are smart and beautiful, from the inside out. We started this company to build excellent equipment that is artistically crafted in Colorado. Having three daughters inspires us, challenges us and teaches us on a daily basis. Women (and girls) come in all shapes and sizes!
Last summer, as we fished and traveled, we met with awesome women who love our mission and a few fly shops. Our kids got to have ice cream with one ally in West Glacier and cast fly rods with another in Bozeman. Our kids are part of the journey, and more importantly, part of our story. They love to be part of our team and they inspire us every day.
Some personal highlights from the summer; when our 7 year-old caught “five fish on rusty spinners” on Montana’s Rock Creek, our 8 year-old nymphed a giant cutthroat from a pond in Alpine, Wyoming and our 10 year-old tried chicken fried steak for the first time at the Oxford in Missoula before landing a ton of fish on the Blackfoot. These were the highlights that they shared with their teachers and friends in the “what I did over the summer” first-day-of-school writing exercises. We played the license plate game, savored huckleberries, spotted shooting stars, chased giant stoneflies, read paper maps, listened to full albums of “classic” rock and sang our way along a multitude county roads. My daughters fish with finesse and they play with vigor.
As a Mom and business owner, I am constantly dancing between roles, wearing multiple hats and balancing on the slippery rocks of life. This is the life I have chosen, the blessings I have been given and truly the life that I love. It can be messy, complicated, fragmented and challenging. It can also be flexible, adventurous, memorable and amazing.
After the kids began their first day of school, before beginning my new season I went for a walk with Sara-dog. We saw minnows swimming in a nearby pond and I smiled. The water and its ever-changing life cycles bring me joy and peace. It reminds me that life flows forward, just like the rivers.