avatarMia Verita

Summary

The author reflects on the cherished memories of spending time with their father on treasure-hunting adventures in the forest, which became a source of valuable life lessons and family bonding following his recent passing.

Abstract

The article "In the Forest with my Father" is a heartfelt tribute to the author's late father, with whom the author shared a unique bond through bottle hunting and metal detecting in the woods. The author recounts how these expeditions began as a way for their father to connect with his children, ultimately becoming a formative experience that taught the author responsibility and the value of cherishing family memories. Despite the challenges of the Louisiana heat, poison ivy, and insects, the treasure hunts were a source of joy and learning, yielding not only physical artifacts but also intangible lessons in resilience and appreciation for nature. The author's father, who initially majored in forestry and loved the song "Whispering Pines," instilled in his child a love for the outdoors and the importance of family togetherness. The article concludes with an invitation for other writers to share their own experiences of what a walk in the woods means to them.

Opinions

  • The author believes that there is a lack of stories about happy family memories and emphasizes the importance of sharing love through storytelling.
  • The author's father is portrayed as wise and caring, providing his children with enough freedom to learn from their mistakes while ensuring their safety.
  • The author values the lessons learned from their father, particularly the importance of responsibility, as exemplified by the loss of a cherished silver ring.
  • The author cherishes the time spent in nature with family, considering it more valuable than the physical treasures found.
  • The author holds a deep connection to the song "Whispering Pines," associating it with their father's love for the forest and using it to comfort him in his final moments.
  • The author expresses gratitude to the editors of Reciprocal for providing a platform to share personal stories and acknowledges other writers who have contributed their perspectives on the "A Walk in the Woods" prompt.

NATURE

In the Forest with my Father

A walk in the woods

The old homesite. Photo by author.

I was energized and excited when I saw this week’s Reciprocal writing prompt, “A Walk in the Woods.” It’s a topic on which I have much to share. But when it came to putting my fingers on the keyboard, I hesitated. It’s a sensitive topic to me in light of my father’s passing this year.

I need to write this for myself. And other people need to read it. Because there’s not enough love in this world, and there aren’t enough stories about happy family memories. My best times in life were spent in the forest with my family.

My dad started a new hobby when I was in elementary school. He started bottle hunting and metal detecting. He searched old homesites, an old boy scout camp, and any local woods he was allowed to search, looking for lost relics of the past.

He asked my brother if he wanted to go bottle hunting with him on Saturdays for some father/son bonding, but my brother was a teenager who was too cool for his parents. I asked dad if I could go. He smiled and said, “I don’t think you would like it. It’s hot, sweaty, and requires a lot of digging in the dirt.” It was summer in Louisiana, which was exceptionally hot and humid. There would be mosquitos, poison ivy, etc.

He allowed me to go with him, and his rules were clear. Stay within his sight at all times. Wear long sleeves, gloves, and pants tucked into my boots to prevent contact with poisonous leaves and snakes. The number one rule was NO COMPLAINING. He made it clear that if I uttered one complaint about the weather, the dirt, etc., this would be the first and the last time he would bring me to the woods.

I looked forward to showing my dad how patient and tough I could be. Challenge accepted!

The old homesite. Photo by author.

We started out in the woods behind my great-grandparents’ house, pictured above. At that time, my aunt lived in the house and she was kind enough to let us explore the area. I was on my best behavior and a good helper that day. I ensured I was useful in digging with my little shovel and trowel. I pretended to know what I was doing as I mimicked my dad’s actions. I discovered a silver ring that day, which was the perfect size for my index finger!

My aunt added another stipulation to encourage my hard work; whatever I find, I keep. The ring was all I found that day, it was more than enough to encourage me on future adventures.

I lost the ring a few years later when we moved to another city. My dad wasn’t surprised. I had a bad habit of misplacing things. I didn’t have many material possessions, probably because I would frequently lose things. I needed to learn a lesson to help build responsibility.

Some of the items we found while metal detecting. Photo by author.

Our treasure hunts produced many unique coins and antique silver through the years. We found a lot of old bottles, mostly medicine bottles and snuff bottles. Years ago, snuff bottles were used for powdered tobacco.

Years later, I was teasing my dad and asked why he let me keep the first ring I found if he knew I’d probably lose it. His eyebrows hiked up several inches. He always did that when he had a point to make and was going to say something important. What followed was a lesson I’ll always cherish. I don’t recall his exact words, but I’ll paraphrase them to convey the sentiment.

He said, “I’ve done many things wrong as a parent, but that’s not one of them. I tried to give you and your brother enough rope to fall but not enough to hit the ground.” He explained further that he wanted to give us responsibility and room to fail while we were young. He wanted us to learn lessons at a time in life when the consequences weren’t as serious.

He was right. Losing that ring taught me to be more responsible with my belongings from that point forward.

There were many more weekend trips to the forest with dad. Eventually, he bought me a small metal detector and taught me how to use it. I still have my box of treasures from those treasure-hunting trips. But the real treasure was the time spent with my dad in nature and the lessons I learned.

Found while metal detecting. Photo by author.

My dad’s initial dream and first major in college was forestry. When my brother outgrew his “too cool for parents” phase, we went fishing together a lot. It was a reminder of cherished early childhood memories. My grandfather had several acres of land that backed into the Kisatchie National Forest, with a fully stocked pond. I can’t count the number of times we walked those trails through the woods to the pond. Nor can I count the number of times grandma screamed, “Put on your shoes!” as I ran barefoot through the forest. That was another lesson nature taught me. Fire ants have a purpose, even if it’s simply to teach us to wear shoes in the forest.

My father was at home and at peace in those woods, as was I. My dad’s favorite song, Whispering Pines, was inspired by the forest where he grew up. The land was saturated with pine trees. I played his favorite song for him the day before he died, and he actually smiled. As I’ve said before, I’m not a country music fan. But I love that song. More than anything, I loved my family and the times we spent together in the forest.

Mia Verita, 2022

Thank you for reading. Written in memory of my parents.

Photo by author.

My mother October 3, 1947 — April 6, 2017

Photo by author.

My father January 24, 1939 — March 2, 2022

My father’s favorite song, “Whispering Pines,” by Johnny Horton

This has been my response to “A Walk in the Woods” prompt for the second week of November. I hope you’ve enjoyed it. I invite other writers here to share what a walk in the woods means to you.

Thank you to all the hard-working editors of Reciprocal, Dr. Preeti Singh, Sahil Patel, and Yana Bostongirl, for hosting this story.

Thank you, Dr. Preeti Singh and William J Spirdione, for this inspiring prompt.

Here are a few other responses to this prompt that I found inspiring.

William J Spirdione shared this lovely article.

Josephine Crispin shared this wonderful article.

Mia Verita enjoys sharing sweet memories of time spent with family. She enjoys photography, sketching, writing poetry, and sharing inspirational stories.

If you would like to read Mia’s stories and those of other Medium members, you can join Medium using her affiliate link. She will receive a portion of the membership fee at no additional cost to you.

Reciprocal
Nature
Nature Writing
Photography
Family
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