31 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com our town Father’s Day 2026 is the first Father’s Day since the passing of my father last August. I know they say there are multiple stages in the journey through grief, like climbing the steps of a staircase, and my emotions remind me daily that I am still going through the process, and that I still have a long way to go. My mother turns 90 this year and she is in memory care here in Mount Pleasant. Due to dementia, we lose a little more of her each day, so my family tries to make the most of every moment. This Mother’s Day will be significant for our family for obvious reasons, and I know many of you can relate. I begin this month's column by mentioning my parents because they created the best, and the most shaping, memories of my life which are tied to this community and the waters of Charleston Harbor. My parents were young by today's standards, and my father chose to come back to MUSC for yet a second medical specialty, so our family moved to Mount Pleasant in the mid-1960s. Medical residency is a time of financial strain, and my sister and I knew we were all in it together, so getting material things would be few and far between. But looking back now, because my parents chose to make that a time of outdoor recreation and discovery for us, my memories of it are one of the biggest blessings of my life. One memory that stands out is when Daddy bought me a Zebco rod and reel at the Eckerd drug store for about $10 and took me fishing on Pitt Street Bridge, long before it was the improved public park it is today. That fishing trip was my first experience of feeling a fish on the line and I reeled in what I think was the most significant flounder of my life. To hear Daddy's proud response meant the world to me then. It echoes in my mind and all the way to my soul. Money can't buy a memory like that for a boy with his father beside the waters of Charleston Harbor. This month's issue tells the stories of families whose life-shaping experiences led them to careers on the waters and waterfront of Charleston Harbor. The memories and family connections are part of what makes it such a special place, with lots of national and local history further enhancing it. "If those waters could talk, oh the stories they could tell," some have mused. The waters do talk – through our family stories, and my hope for you is that you not only enjoy these but make some of your own. BY WILL HAYNIE MAYOR OF MOUNT PLEASANT Mayor’s Message Waters That Hold Our Stories
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjcyNTM1