The fourth short story from David Cabela in our "Family History" series. These short stories are meant to take readers into the Cabela Family history from his perspective...

“I’ll go,” Dick said.
“No, you’re in the middle of a stack. I’ll go,” Mary said.

Rich, not yet one-year-old, belted out an impressive cry from his crib a room away. Mary stapled the plastic bag of flies she had been working on, slid it into the pile, and slipped into the bedroom hoping to stop the baby’s crying before he woke up any of the other three children.

Dick glanced at the clock—1 a.m. He had to be to work at his father’s furniture store in six hours. He still had at least two hours of filling orders—that was with Mary’s help. He rubbed his eyes and opened another envelope. This one had two dimes and a nickel taped to a folded piece of paper along with a cut-out copy of the ad he had placed in Sports Afield—“Free Introductory Offer—5 hand-tied flies free…25 cents postage and handling.”

“Dick had this positive, never-quit attitude and a belief that anything could be accomplished with determination and hard work,” Mary said. “It was irresistible. We shared a desire for a big family, a love of the outdoors, and a devotion to faith. Some people are made for each other. I believe that. And some of us are lucky enough to meet early in life.”

Dick and Mary married in 1955 and had their first child, Nancy, the following year. By 1961, they had three more children: Geri, Teri, and Rich.

Twenty-five years-old at the time, Dick made his living as manager of his father’s furniture and hardware store. As much as he appreciated the opportunity his father gave him, Dick’s passion steered him in other directions. He wanted to branch out on his own, to build a life and a career that reflected who he was. He understood the life of someone who sold goods. “My father was a merchant. My grandfather was a merchant. It’s what I knew,” he once said.

But his heart was just not into furniture and hardware—he was an angler and a hunter...

"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love."

-Galatians 5:13-

 In order to understand the Cabela’s story, we need to know at least a little bit about the man who started it and about where he came from.

Dreams inspire success.

Some aspire for financial freedom. Others, spiritual enlightenment or family prosperity. We all see success from within the framework of our personal lives. But without goals, without dreams, we have little to strive for.

Dick and Mary Cabela exemplified the possibilities of what can happen when you blend a little bit of ambition with a ton of hard work, faith, and freedom. They would’ve argued luck played a part, but lottery winners don’t spend decades of toil, heartbreak, and determination molding companies that employ thousands and fuel the dreams of countless more.

By any standard, Dick and Mary were successful. They built a world-renown outdoor outfitting business from scratch. They raised nine children. They nurtured a lasting marriage based on a solid foundation of faith and love. They hunted and fished all over the globe, pursuing a passion for the outdoors which permeated throughout every facet of their lives. Then, inspired by that passion, they founded the Cabela Family Foundation to help ensure those wild places endure for generations to come.