It is a week before Father’s Day and I got the pleasant surprise of having my daughter Sarah and my granddaughter Sophia. They had decided to visit and spend a couple of days with their grandmother and me. Every day they visit is like Father’s Day to me, but this visit was a little different. Sarah wanted to take me shooting, something we had been talking about for a while, but never got to it. Seeing that she has to work on Father’s Day, she decided to celebrate with me now.
As it was over 95 degrees outside we decided to head over to Manchester Firing Line in Manchester, New Hampshire. So leaving my granddaughter with my wife, Sarah and loaded the marlin 60 .22 rifle and around 100 rounds of .22LR ammo into the truck and head to the range. It had been a long time since we have had a chance to do something like this. To say that I was happy is an understatement.
When we arrived Paul set us up on lane 14. Here, before we ever started shooting, I reviewed gun safety with Sarah. She had never fired this rifle before so we also reviewed all of the basics (muzzle always downrange, safety on until ready to shoot, breathing, squeeze the trigger; don’t pull it, etc.). Though she had been through it all before, it is always good to review this stuff.
For me the gift was not about me shooting. Instead it was all about watching my little girl (not so little anymore) enjoying herself. She is all grown up now, with a daughter of her own, and another one on the way. She has a job and a busy life, so for her to spend time with me, like she did as a child, was very special. With all of that said, I did manage to put about 10 rounds downrange (you know I had to do it).
We set the target at 25 feet to start. After she let the first five rounds go down range we looked at the target. She was high and to the left. I corrected her posture and reminded her to breath. The next five rounds were low center. So we did it again. This time she was on the money.
No we set the target out to 30 feet. Once again we got her on target and she was hitting the red most of the time. After she had fired a little more than 50 rounds our hour of range time was up. She didn’t do badly for her first time using that rifle. She still needs to shoot more, but I was very proud of her none the less.
This was one of the best Father’s Day gifts I have ever received. I got to spend some much needed time with my daughter, something we don’t get to do much of anymore. It wasn’t about being able to cover the bullet holes with a dime. It wasn’t about bragging about how great a shot I am. It was all about having a good time with someone I love above all else.
Thank you Sarah.
(And, Thank you Dana for sharing this with us. Not a good way to say we are sorry for not getting this up on time, but thank you for sharing this story. It is awesome! Bill)