Author: christiangrandmabiker

This is always a weekend of mixed emotions ever since losing my dad. They say time heals all wounds, but it doesn’t. The heartache may lessen a little but it’s always there. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of my dad. I know I will see him again one day, that he is no longer in pain, and is enjoying the company of our heavenly Father though so that provides enormous comfort.

Yesterday would have been my parent’s 61st wedding anniversary as well. Their love for each other and us was unconditional. I realized today while I was riding that even if someone upsets me while I’m riding, like a pickup that almost sideswiped me because they weren’t paying attention, and a car that was way over the yellow line coming straight at me around a corner, I can’t stay angry. After the initial shock of their recklessness, I thank God for his protection yet again and simply ride on thinking about positive things. It’s still a beautiful day, I’m blessed with a hubby that loves me, I have a beautiful granddaughter and another that will be arriving this week, I have a job I love, food in my home, a roof over my head, and the list goes on. So what is the purpose of staying angry?!

My mom and dad were that way together and with us. Don’t get me wrong, if we did something wrong there was sometimes some anger, disappointment, and most definitely discipline. It was not something that they dwelled on though. It seems they never stayed mad for any length of time, no grudges were held, and no constant reminders later of mistakes we had made. I can’t recall them ever arguing with each other in anger in front of us kids. I’m sure they had disagreements like all couples do, but it was something they handled between themselves.

What a different world we live in now. I’m so blessed and thankful to have been raised the way I was. We knew we were loved, we were taught respect and responsiblity for our own actions. We played outside from sun up to sun down and we knew better than to break curfew or talk back to anyone, not just our parents. I didn’t say we never did it, but that we knew better, and there were consequences for our actions. 😉 I could get on a soapbox right here but I’m just going to leave it, we all know the world today is not the same as it was even 20 years ago, let alone 30 or 40.

As I get older I’ve learned it’s not so important to have the final say in all situations, sometimes the best response is simply silence. Life’s too short to be angry all the time. If I can let it go when I’m riding, then I can do it at other times as well. It’s all about where I put my focus. Being angry with another person gives them a power over you that they should not have. Being angry with yourself is a losing battle, forget it and move on. Think about that, if I’m fighting with my own thoughts, who wins? We all get angry and have a right sometimes to feel that way, but it’s what we do with the anger that determines the outcome. The realization I came to today while riding regarding anger is something I am going to try to put more effort into even when I’m not riding.

Anger produces bad thoughts, unnecessary stress, and can cause mental and physical health issues. I don’t want it to have that hold on me at any time. I want to be able to let it go all the time, not just when I ride. Hopefully today will start a new journey towards that goal. Wish me luck, and join me if you choose. If you have things that work for you, please feel free to share in the comments for myself and others. We’re all on this journey called life together!

James 1:19-20

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

Goals can be interesting. This past week there were times when I needed to run some “quick” errands. Some were quicker than others based simply on what I drove. Running errands in my car as you might have guessed went quicker than those on my bike. The goal when running an errand in the car was simply to go from point A to B and back with errand completed. Although the goal on the bike is to also go from point A to B and back, the ride is much longer. Here’s a visual for you. 😉

The goal was the same but the purpose was different. The purpose of taking the bike was to also have some much needed “down time ” as well. Errands can be fun after all. When I left on my last errand it was to get a part for my car and my hubby told me to take my time so being the obedient wife I am I of course assumed that meant to ride on! 🤣

I’m sure for any of you that have read many of my ramblings, you know the bike is my “stress free zone.” It’s my “me” time, my time to clear my mind and most importantly my alone time with God. I’ve learned many things about Him, about myself, and about life in general since I’ve been riding my own bike, something I never dreamed I would do. I’ve learned how very important it is to take time for yourself, not in a selfish way, but in a healthy way.

It’s also important to have at least one person in your life who will help keep you grounded/balanced. I’ve heard many times that women look for a husband who is like their dad. I got thinking about this while riding and while my dad and my hubby share(d) some very different hobbies and mannerisms, there is definitely one thing they both share(d). When I was a teenager I can remember some talks I had with my dad where he let me know in no uncertain terms that I was to respect myself and not just settle. Mom always told me the same thing but for some reason dad’s words hit home with a different effect. Maybe it’s the father/daughter thing, maybe it was his tone, or maybe because I was daddy’s little girl. I went through many years while my kids were younger where I saw myself as a mom and that was where my focus was and the respecting myself part, as a woman, kind of went by the wayside. I’m not going to share much about that, except to say that when I met my hubby that changed. I was still a mom first, but he made me realize I also needed to be me and that meant relearning to respect myself the way my dad had instilled in me. I still have times now where I have a “brain fart”, or as my youngest son lovingly calls it, brain diarrhea lol. When I have those moments my hubby will still remind me, and although my immediate response may be one of aggravation, I’m truly thankful he cares enough to remind me anyway.

I teach a class at work to our newly hired staff. I’ve recently started to make sure I stress the importance of taking care of ourselves. We talk about burnout and about many stressful situations that can arise. We are blessed to work with an amazing group of individuals who have autism. The work is not physically demanding most days but it can be mentally demanding, although the rewards far outway the demands. In any job and in day to day life where people care for others, it’s extremely important to take care of yourself. If we don’t take care of ourselves, how can we effectively care for others, including our families?

In our trainings, we also talk about dreams and helping others to try to achieve them by meeting them where they’re at and assisting with the growth towards those dreams in any way we can. Recently while riding I got thinking about my own dreams, actually I guess it’s more my bucket list than dreams as it’s a couple of things I’d like to accomplish before I die. I realize these may never happen, but they are still something I’d love to be able to do someday if any way possible, even if only in part.

One of those things is to ride my bike across the country with my hubby and camp all along the way. I’d love to see Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon as well as the big redwood trees on the West Coast. Don’t panic mom, it won’t be any time soon! Another thing I’d love to be able to do one day is own a small farmhouse and have enough land to offer a place for those with disabilities and/or illnesses to be able to swim in a pool, ride go carts, dirt bikes, 4 wheelers etc., and have a mini petting farm where they can be a part of something they might not ever otherwise experience, if only for a day. Like I said, these things may never happen, but it doesn’t hurt to dream or have a bucket list, it’s actually healthy I believe.

To me if you don’t have any dreams, a bucket list, or long term goals, then you’re just living to get thru each day and that saddens me. I realize it can be a struggle just to get through each day sometimes, but I don’t believe God ever intended for us to simply exist. We do that to ourselves I think by putting unrealistic expectations on ourselves, by not forgiving ourselves and others for mistakes, by listening to the world, and by not giving Him things to handle for us like He promises He will, and then listening to see what He’s trying to tell us.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Matthew 11:28-30

Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my time upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

I challenge each and every one of you reading this to seriously think of 1 new dream or new item for your bucket list and don’t let anyone tell you it cannot be done! Dream big and go to Him to help you through, we never know what we can accomplish if we don’t at least try.

Brain definition: an organ of soft nervous tissue contained in the skull of vertebrates, functioning as the coordinating center of sensation and intellectual and nervous activity.

While I rode for a couple of hours today, the whole ride was focused on our brains. Have you ever thought about your brain for a couple of hours? It can be mind boggling. No matter how hard I tried to think about other things, it all came back to the brain. My brain wouldn’t let me focus on anything else, other than a safe ride of course.

Our brain is truly the one organ that determines everything and makes us all different. It’s not our color, our sex, or our family lineage. It’s the brain that makes us who we are. We could have a heart transplant, a lung or kidney transplant, get blood from someone else or their marrow, but we can’t get a brain from someone else. If we receive someone else’s organ or blood etc., our brain is then controlling that within us, but we are still the same person we were technically. Have you ever heard the saying 2 heads are better than 1? I’ve never heard 2 hearts are better than 1, or 4 lungs or kidneys are better than 2. It’s all about the brain.

When children are little they’re often described as having brains that are like a sponge, they take in everything they see and hear and learn from it. Everything; good and bad. I guess that’s why as we grow up, we make the decisions we do. It’s based on what our brains were fed; the foods, the thoughts, the experiences. How we think is determined by what we were subjected to throughout our lives. The brain is an amazing organ.

If it is formed normally, we really all have the same abilities to make the same decisions. Even if we have different experiences, we still have access to information that can change our thoughts and actions.

Even those whose brains may not be normal due to birth defects or accidents or any other number of things, still have the ability to learn or relearn things in many circumstances. That to me is also amazing. There are people who cannot do basic every day activities like bathing or preparing their own foods, yet they can play a musical instrument like a pro, it’s how their brain is wired. On the other hand there are people who are considered geniuses based on their IQ, yet they cannot communicate effectively with others in a simple conversation or may appear to have no “common sense.” The brain is basically the same organ in the majority of us, yet no 2 of us are alike.

How we each perceive the things we see, hear, and experience is different. Sometimes we make decisions not based on what our brains are telling us the decision should be, but on what our hearts tell us, or what our guts tell us. Why is that? What would the world look like if we always made decisions based on our brain and not on our gut or heart. I believe it would look very different.

I know many decisions I have made from the heart or gut would have been very different if I’d made them from what my brain would have chosen, logically. Sometimes you just have to go with what you feel is best at the time though and go from there.

Fortunately, if we make bad choices, we do sometimes still have the ability to redirect things or at least use our brains to help us ask for forgiveness and try to make things better or different. We can’t change past choices, but we can use our brains to learn from them and to also try to teach others not to follow our bad choices. That’s not something our other organs can help us with, only our brains.

What an amazing organ it is. Without a brain we are nothing. Machines can make our hearts, lungs, and kidneys function but if we are brain dead, there is no machine that can change that. Only a miracle from God could do that.

With that said, why is it that we can all hear and read the same information and yet all believe differently? I believe it’s because we are all given many facts and we are also given the freedom to choose. We choose which facts we believe and which facts we do not, and we do so with our hearts.

Romans 10:9-10

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Riding this weekend I really got thinking about Memorial Day and what it means. I’m not sure why it’s speaking to me so strongly this year. Maybe because it’s been a challenging year, maybe it’s age, maybe it’s missing my nephew who was more like a son than my nephew. He served in the Air Force and unfortunately while he was serving in Kuwait he was misdiagnosed which lead to a cancer that had spread beyond the point of remission or curing once discovered and it took his life within approximately 7 months at the young age of only 22. He loved serving in the Air Force and I believe it’s the first time he really felt like he was doing what He was called to do and he was proud of his accomplishments. As you can see from the picture of him, he also rode. I recently thought how nice it would have been to be able to ride with him now, only to then realize I’d have been in his dust because he liked to “fly ” more than ride at a leisurely pace. He lived life wide open and experienced more in his 22 years than many live in way more years.

Luke, this weekend is about you and about the other brave men and women who literally gave their lives to serve their country. I am thankful for each and every one of them, as well as their families who were left behind. This weekend is about remembering them, not about cooking out, going to the beaches or mountains, or getting a 3 day weekend. If not for those who served and died for us, we wouldn’t have the freedom to now do these things. I wouldn’t have the freedom to ramble on about my thoughts without fear of others trying to stop me.

On that thought, I have come to also realize that not everyone who reads mine or other’s blogs, will agree with what we share. There have been several times when I have received some “negative ” feedback from some readers that had me questioning whether I should continue to share or maybe just journal for myself. Every time this has happened, I would then get an encouraging word or note from someone else who was somehow touched positively by what they read so here I am still rambling on. I’m not here to convert anyone and I’m by no means an expert on solving anyone’s problems, but I’m here to share what He leads me to share and if it helps even 1 person in any way then He gets all the glory.

The men and women who served, fought tough battles no doubt. I can’t even begin to imagine what they went through prior to giving their lives for us. Some died in combat type battle, others died of indirect battles due to things they were exposed to that caused physical health issues like my nephew or mental health issues or a combination of all these things. Regardless of the cause, they are heroes in my book for serving and I will not forget them.

We each also fight our own battles daily. Some may be regarding physical health, mental health, or spiritual health, and some maybe are even a combination of them all. We never truly know what another person is going through, or has been through, unless we have walked in their shoes. That’s why we should never judge others.

Today my riding battle was dealing with the weather. There were pop up storms all around me. Every time I thought maybe I should pull over and put on my rain gear, the sun would peak out from behind a cloud and I knew it was all going to be ok and I would just continue on.

In case you haven’t picked up on it, each time I thought about stopping my blog, something would happen to make me realize I needed to continue on. Each time I thought about pulling over to put on gear, the sun would give me a message to continue on. Some would say these are just coincidences, but personally I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe it’s all part of His plan. I have been caught in the rain several times on my bike, some of which I’ve previously written about, and those times everything in me was saying I needed to put on rain gear or not ride at all, but I didn’t listen and I got wet. Today thankfully all of the rain was around me, not on me. I did go through a few areas where I ended up with a “polka dotted” windshield and glasses and areas where the pavement was wet, but nothing requiring gear.

Often I think our biggest battle may be within ourselves. We maybe haven’t forgiven someone we should, we haven’t forgiven ourselves, we haven’t put the past where it belongs-in the past, we question ourselves and don’t have faith in ourselves or we just don’t feel worthy enough. The battles we fight in our own minds can truly be deadly. It can kill our motivation, our goals, and our future.

Where would we be now if the men and women who fought for our country allowed these kinds of thoughts to over rule the orders they were given to carry out?

We too have orders we are to carry out and one is to love one another. Can we truly love others if we are harboring the internal feelings I previously mentioned?

1 Corinthians 13:13

And now these three remain; faith, hope,and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Let’s remember those who gave their lives for us, because they loved their country and remember that Jesus gave His life for us, because He loved us and wanted us to have eternal life. Love is what it’s all about. Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend and love one other.

Have you ever heard a song and then just couldn’t get it out of your head? Well today that happened to me and it’s a song I hadn’t sung or even heard for a very long time. I was in a store picking up something for my hubby and I heard it. There was the sweetest little voice around the corner just singing his heart out and he was singing, “Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man?”…admit it you just sang that instead of reading it 🤣. Well needless to say that song has been stuck in my head ever since. There’s just a little something different about riding down the road with that song on your mind.

I got thinking about the cute little fella that was singing and how when we’re young innocent children we just do what feels right and makes us happy and don’t worry what others think about it. We trust those who take care of us and are seemingly carefree. He trusted who he was with in the store to watch over him and protect him and was just enjoying himself. If only we all felt the same way as we get older. (I know there are some children who sadly don’t have that type of upbringing, but that’s a topic for another day maybe.)

Trust is an interesting thing. There are so many different levels of trust, at least for me. If you’ve ever had someone abuse your trust, it can become very difficult for you to trust again. I thought back to the first time I ever rode on the bike with my hubby. At the time, we were just friends and I had no idea what to do as a rider. Being on the back of a motorcycle is very different than a snowmobile which I grew up riding and knew all about leaning on. Believe me, you do NOT lean as a passenger on a bike like you do on a snowmobile. My poor hubby survived while I learned though, thanks to his lifelong experience on bikes and patience with me. As I think back to that very first ride with him, I realize I had put total trust in him at that very moment. My life was literally in his hands. At that point in my life, that was huge because the only men I trusted completely then were my dad and my brother. I soon learned what it was like to put total trust in someone who wanted the best for me, that wasn’t part of my family. Obviously our friendship grew and so did my trust in him and for that I’m forever grateful. I know he’ll always be there when I need him the most. That is priceless.

You can trust some people with little things, and some you trust to do their job, others you trust to handle things for you when you can’t, but you have to have at least 1 person you know you can trust completely no matter what and feel safe with. In this crazy world we now live in, that’s so increasingly important. I’m learning to trust a little more, I just tend to be more guarded which I guess comes with experience and age. There are times when I don’t even trust myself to make the right decisions. I’m learning instead of jumping to decisions, sometimes it’s ok to admit to myself I’m not sure and I need to pray about it first. His decisions are always better than my own as I’ve mentioned before.

Who would have thought hearing the muffin man song would have led us to this? Well I guess that’s why my blog is called ramblings.

On that note, let me ramble about 1 more thing. I also experienced many smells today that reminded me of childhood; mine and my boys. I initially smelled the sweet smell of honeysuckle like I used to smell when taking my boys for a walk or fishing, the unmistakable smell of mothballs (guess someone was trying to keep the snakes away), and before the ride was over I finally smelled the wonderful aroma of dairy cows that I love because it always takes me back to my childhood days in a friend’s barn with my dad.

It’s amazing to me the power that songs and smells can have on our thoughts and feelings. Before I started writing after some of my rides, I never realized any of this. Riding and writing both awaken all of my senses and I would be missing out on so much if I didn’t have these new experiences.

The Lord indeed can get our attention in many ways through even the least expected things. Never underestimate what He can do.

Mother’s Day got me thinking about some comparisons while I rode this weekend. I rode familiar routes so I was able to be more physically and mentally relaxed while riding and spend more time focusing on life than on where I would go while riding.

I got thinking about the garden my hubby and I planted last weekend. It’s the biggest garden we’ve ever planted and the first time we’ve planted it all from seed, except for a half dozen tomato plants. He worked very hard getting the ground all tilled up so the soil was very loose and manageable after my son ran the disc over it initially to get it started as we’ve not planted it in this exact location before. I lost count of how many times hubby tilled it, but he did a great job and it made planting it so easy. He was also able to add an attachment that made rows which also was a huge help.

We planted the seeds, covered them with an appropriate amount of soil, and placed a few tin plates and an empty milk jug on poles in the garden to hopefully scare off birds so they wouldn’t eat the seeds, and then of course watered it.

Every night as soon as the sun was off the garden, I went out and watered it well. Because hubby made the rows the way he did, it was easy to see exactly where the water needed to be for the seeds. I was able to concentrate the water where we wanted and needed it for the seeds and not the whole garden which would have encouraged weeds and grass to also grow and flourish. There’s something exciting and rewarding about seeing those plants come up from just a seed. Once the seeds started to sprout, hubby also applied a repellent to keep our friendly deer and bunnies from eating the newly forming plants.

Raising children is very similar in many ways to planting seeds. They too need the proper nourishment and preparations. Moms need to be able to give them what they need when they’re little in order to help them to grow into healthy productive adults later on. We also attempt to use “repellent”, things we say or do to try to protect our kids from danger or bad influences.

All of the seeds in the garden get the same treatment, yet some seeds mature while others don’t. The same can be true with children. Moms can give all of their children the same nourishment, the same love, the same rules, and yet they don’t all turn out the same. Some constantly want to go against the rules while others just want to follow the rules and please others.

Siblings often all have the same opportunities, yet more often than not they all go separate and very different paths. I can definitely see this in my own family with myself and my siblings as well as with my boys. No two of us are alike. We can be as different as night and day.

As I rode I realized the same is true of bike riders. Some of us ride alone, others ride in groups, and some ride only on the back of someone else’s bike. I personally enjoy riding alone or with my hubby. We ended the weekend with a ride together and that was an awesome way to end the weekend for me. This is something he introduced me to by riding on the back of his bike initially, and then teaching me how to ride my own. It’s something we share between us that’s very special to me. I guess that makes a marriage like a garden too. We need to “water ” the positives and repel the negatives.

In all areas of life we need to focus on the good things and nurture them so they grow and pay less attention to the negatives. The world unfortunately would have us believe just the opposite.

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest that you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.” Robert Lewis Stevenson

Whatever you feed will grow; faith or fear, worry or confidence, doubt or belief. Ultimately it’s our choice what grows.

When faced with temptations or trials it’s not always easy to see the positives, but usually if we look hard enough we can find them.

Why does it often seem so much easier to see the bad vs. the good?

That’s food for thought this week I guess – feel free to share if you have thoughts on that.

Today’s ride was interesting to say the least. It definitely felt like Murphy’s Law was alive and well.

If you’ve read many of my past “ramblings” you know that unless I’m headed to work or to visit our parents, I never plan out my ride. I recently thought about a new route I wanted to try out and today was the day I decided to do it. I initially wanted to do it the first time with my hubby instead of alone, but after the way the ride went it’s probably a good thing I was alone which you’ll understand shortly. I had looked over the map on my phone and checked landmarks so I knew what to watch for to get the right roads. You can’t glance at that while on the bike like you can in a car 😀.

Everything started out great. The weather was beautifully sunny and warm and the winds were very light. As I looked at the beautiful sky and saw all of the amazing flowers in bloom in their many different colors, everything seemed so vibrant and alive.

The weather for some reason brought back memories of doing things with my dad, who will have been gone 5 years tomorrow. I was a daddy’s girl and used to love to go hunting with him as well as many other things. I remember the first time I saw the ocean and it was as a teenager along with my mom and dad. Mom doesn’t swim so she watched from the beach as daddy and I played and swam. If any of you are familiar with Maine, you know that even in the summer, the ocean water isn’t very warm. That didn’t stop my dad from getting in the water with me though. That trip was also when he insisted I order “something different” when we went out to eat. We didn’t go out to eat often but I had a habit of always ordering the same thing and he was determined this time I was going to try something new. I decided I’d “fix him” and ordered lobster, much more expensive than my usual ham slice. Well I have loved the ocean and all seafood ever since.

I also remember him letting me climb up on his shoulders and he would “throw me” off into the water, the ocean and also our pond at home. Such fun memories with my daddy and it just took pretty weather and a bike ride for them to all come flooding back.

Maybe it was also because my hubby and I were able to take “mom and dad” out for lunch today to celebrate his birthday. Last year at this time we didn’t know if he would still be with us for Christmas, let alone another birthday. Thank you Lord for allowing him to still be here to celebrate! Any of you not familiar with my past posts, he has a rare form of cancer that he’s been battling for over a year now. God is good –

Well back to the ride and Murphy’s Law. Although the ride started out pretty typical and good for just reminiscing, that all changed. As I approached a busy intersection I naturally slowed down because these are areas that often are not friendly to bikers. Looking ahead I saw a tractor trailer truck pulling out into the highway going the same direction as me. There was another couple vehicles between me and it and I kept a safe distance. It soon became apparent this truck was either fully loaded, or had a very cautious slow driver behind the wheel. Once another vehicle ahead of me turned off I could see that this tractor trailer truck was actually a student driver truck, someone was just learning to drive. That made me think of a fellow lady biker that read my last post and sent me a note thanking me for this blog and asked me if I had any pointers because she so far is afraid to go above 50 and is afraid she’s a “hazard” on the road. Well if you’re reading this now Kelli, have no fear. They can get around you and pass a whole lot easier than someone learning to drive a tractor trailer truck!

As I approached the country road I was wanting to turn on I thought well at least that big truck won’t be going that way. WRONG

Apparently the instructor must have thought this country road with its curves and intersections would be a good training road. Just my luck. I kept at least a tractor trailer length between us most of the way to the end of the road but it still managed to somehow “throw ” a stone which proceeded to hit me on the front of my leg on the bone just in front of my knee. Yep that smarted just a bit.

We finally made it to the end of that road and I prayed they weren’t again turning the way I wanted to go. Fortunately they were not! So now I figure it’s smooth sailing for the rest of my ride.

I started to see landmarks I recognized from the map I’d looked at ahead of time and knew my next road was coming up soon. Just as I got to it, Murphy struck again: Road Closed -DETOUR.

OK so now I am clueless where the detour is going to take me. I proceed to follow the signs, then get to a 4 way intersection and yep you guessed it, Murphy again. No detour sign to show which way to go and no road signs to tell me the names of any of the roads I’m at. I decided to pull over at a church parking lot and take a break. I had a drink in my saddlebag that I’d fixed before I left home so used this opportunity to hydrate. As I watched the intersection, I noticed which direction the majority of the cars were going and decided that was the way I would also go. After going about a mile or so on that road there was finally a road sign and I knew I was back on the road I initially wanted. You see now why it’s a good thing I was travelling alone? Indecision and confusion don’t work well if you have no way to communicate from 1 bike to the other with your hubby.

So I’m at least now going the way I wanted to. I had to stop a few times for school buses and travelled some road that was definitely in need of work, grass even growing up through the cracks in it, but at least I was on the right track.

As I neared the end of this road I knew I’d be back on a main highway I was familiar with so could get up to a good speed and ride comfortably knowing where I was. Well knowing where I was turned out to be true, but getting up to a good speed was not to be. Just ahead of me was a very large dump truck that was fully loaded with something quite heavy apparently and it did not get up to speed the entire time I followed it.

As I approached a local college, it’s usually just an area that requires you to go slow through it to allow for students walking across the road etc. to be safe. Well for the first time ever that I’ve experienced it, must be classes had just let out and there was a police officer stopping traffic in both directions to allow all of the students out of the parking lot-all of them. I used this time to go ahead and put the bike in neutral and stretch my hands and arms a bit while having to wait. We weren’t moving any time soon.

So now I’m all stretched and ready to ride again 😄. By now I need gas so go ahead to one of my “usual” stops to fill up-uneventful YAY!

I got back out on the road and was able to relax and again reminisce about my daddy and about my father in law whose been so special and helpful, especially since my daddy passed away. Then more memories came back about my mom as mother’s day also approaches. I am blessed to still have her here to celebrate as well as my mother in law. Love and spend time with your parents while you can, because one day you’ll wish you could and you won’t be able to. I’d love to hear daddy say “see ya later kiddo ” just 1 more time. He would not have been happy about me learning to ride at first but he still would have loved and supported me, as my mom still does.

I decide to make one last turn and ride by a pretty lake nearby before heading home. Today, they had started to repave a section of this road. This meant only 1 lane was open and that there was some road oil and tar particles in the travelling lane which required added caution yet again. Safely got through this area and thankfully the rest of the ride home was normal with no added surprises which I was grateful for. This is one ride full of memories, old and new, I will not soon forget.

I know I haven’t rambled lately, but it’s not due to lack of riding thankfully. There are many times when I ride, that I have thoughts I consider writing about, but I try not to write until that “still small voice” says to. Today I heard the voice say it’s time. No it’s not an audible voice, just a voice in my head and a feeling in my heart that it’s time to share.

Many of my thoughts on recent rides have been related to focus. Some of these rides were alone, and a couple were with my hubby which was wonderful. Focus when I’m riding is key. The road, other vehicles, the weather, and many other variables require constant consideration when riding a bike. You probably wouldn’t think twice about gravel or a stone in the road while you’re in a 4 wheeled vehicle, but on a bike it can be a totally different story. One thing I’ve learned riding horses and my bike, you focus ahead of where you want to go. If there’s a curve in the road, you focus on the middle when you start and where you want to end up by the middle of the curve. You never focus directly in front of you. Where you look, is where you will go. If there’s a stone or object in the road you want to avoid, don’t focus on it. Look beyond it to where you want to end up. If you stare at the stone you’ll end up hitting it, not avoiding it.

Isn’t this true in life as well? Our focus determines the decisions we make. Others can influence our decisions, but ultimately we make our own choices based on where our focus is. I know I’ve made many poor choices, because my focus was in the wrong place. When that happens, I just pray I learn from those choices and that I’ll move on to make better ones. For the most part I believe our focus needs to be on what’s ahead and not where we’ve been or what we’ve done. That being said, we do sometimes need to lack back briefly, in order to look ahead wisely.

On a recent ride with my hubby, he led to begin with then when we got to an intersection closer to home, I told him I needed to fuel up. At that point he told me to lead so I went ahead, even though I actually prefer to follow. As I lead I tried to keep taking a look behind me in the side mirrors to know he was still following. I saw where I planned to get gas and put on my blinker so he’d know where I was stopping. As we approached the gas station, I saw it was super busy so I turned off my blinker and decided to wait until the next station. I didn’t immediately look behind me though and by the time I did, my hubby wasn’t there. He no doubt stopped where I originally had signaled. I stopped at the next station and sent him a note to apologize and tell him where I was. I waited a bit, then realized he most likely just turned and headed home so I did as well. This is an example of why sometimes we do need to look back in order to move ahead the way we want to.

Another example of that happened while riding today. I was entering a road where I needed to merge out into traffic. I glanced in my mirror and saw nothing, but because of this particular location, I knew I also needed to physically turn and look, not rely just on my mirror. As I did that, I saw several cars coming and knew they had no intention of slowing down to allow me to merge, so I came to a complete stop. I waited for them all to go by, then after one more check, I merged out onto the road. Looking back does sometimes serve an important purpose, we just cannot remain focused there. We must glance back, then look ahead and refocus on where we’re going.

My husband and I moved a few years ago and that like everything else required planning. We knew we needed to plan ahead and save some money for this to happen. It meant taking weekend getaways, not weeklong vacations. It meant taking some home cooked food with us and not eating out the entire weekend. We were able to still enjoy time away, but didn’t feel guilty or later regret it due to spending too much.

There are other things we’d like to do one day, which requires planning ahead now so that maybe one day we can. Life is all about choices and focus, from little things like what we eat or drink to major choices like buying a home, planning for retirement, and where we will spend eternity.

Most, if not all, of my poor choices were made because my focus was not on God or what He wanted for me. It was on what I thought I wanted for me. His plans are always so much better than my own.

Focus gets us where we’re going; good or bad, the choice is ours.

Proverbs 12:15

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who seeks counsel is wise.”

Finally we got a sunny day with beautiful blue skies, sunshine, and very little wind! The wind lately has been a serious buzzkiller when it comes to riding, but not today. I rode longer than I’ve ridden at one time ever I think since I started riding. I must admit I didn’t want to stop even then but it had been a little over 2 hours and it was time. Unfortunately, I have responsibilities that require attention, whether I like it or not.

Today as I rode it seemed my mind was everywhere; thinking about my childhood, my youth, the day I was SUPPOSED to leave for college and so many other things right up until the present. Yes I said supposed to, I changed my mind the day I was to leave. It’s a day I won’t forget for sure, but a day I don’t regret.

It made me think about my daughter in law, who is going into nursing, and my oldest son’s girlfriend who is going into special education. That’s exactly what my major was going to be. It’s funny how things work out. They both are going into fields where they will help others and I’m proud of them both, as I am my sons. Although I didn’t go on to get my degree as planned, I’m working with individuals who have autism and couldn’t think of anything I’d rather be doing. I guess my job now combines the nursing and the teaching all into one.

While riding I also thought about how often I’ve felt like I never really “fit in.” I was not the partier or social bug in school. I preferred then, like now, to just have a few close friends rather than a large group to hang out with. I was happier going hiking, fishing, or canoeing with my brother or hunting with my dad and brother than going out with friends. Maybe it was and is a comfort thing because I knew what they expected, knew they’d love me no matter what, and there was no pressure. I did realize today it’s also time to start fishing again.I saw a lot of people fishing today and it brought back some great memories. I’m not sure I can combine that with riding but we’ll see!

Even though my mom and dad didn’t completely understand my reason for not going to college that day, they still supported my decision. Don’t get me wrong, there was some serious discussion and expectations that followed that decision, but there was also support and understanding.

Throughout my life, as I made decisions that they didn’t always agree with, there was always support and understanding from my parents and my brother.

It seems like now there is so much focus on people feeling like they need to “fit in” and be what others want them to be. Too much focus, in my opinion, is put on what others think. God made each and every one of us different for a reason. We all serve a different purpose, we all can’t be alike or be what someone else wants us to be. I’ve always been very independent and strong willed. This can be intimidating to others sometimes and be misunderstood. I’ve also always tried to be a peace maker and to “fix” things for other people. The older I get, the more I realize I can’t fix anyone but myself and that’s a full time job 😉.

As I continued to ride, I thought about how I would or wouldn’t do things now, if I had the chance to do anything over. I’ll admit there are some things I’d have done differently, but then I wouldn’t be who I am today. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I don’t know honestly, I guess it depends on who you ask.

All I know is I’m determined to take one day at a time and just try to be me. You can’t please everyone and some days you may not feel like you please anyone, you just have to keep going and try to do better for you, and for who you think God wants you to be. Everyone has an opinion, but only you can live your life.

We are all probably good at giving advice, but not as good at taking it. Sometimes our own advice to others, is really advice we need to take ourselves I think. I can’t tell you how many times I remember saying, “I will never…” and how many times that “never” became something I indeed “did.” Sometimes that was and is a good thing, sometimes, not so much.

Every day is a new beginning. What I (we) decide to do with it is up to me(us). Every day God allows me to wake up, means He still has a plan for me and for you.

I challenge each and every one of you to commit with me to try to make every day count, as we never know when it will be our last. I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know the one who holds my future in His hands and that’s enough.

Several different thoughts have come to mind recently when riding and the one thing they all have in common is how you need to have the right “tools ” to succeed.

I needed to make a new house for my rapidly growing puppy and that meant I needed to borrow a saw from my son. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to cut the wood the way I needed it.

While riding this past week, every ride has required different riding gear (garments can be considered tools too 😀). Every day lately it seems there has been wind to deal with, but the temperatures have varied greatly. One day I rode with a light jacket and my vest and it was perfect. The next day I thought the weather felt the same so I dressed the same. I soon found out I was wrong! My ride was going to be very short if I didn’t go back home for a better choice of “tools”. My hubby was quite surprised to see me back so soon until I explained why. I got on warmer clothes and my leather jacket and warmer gloves and was ready to go again. He said, “You going again?” I said I sure was now that I had the proper clothes. Now my ride was awesome. It was one of those days where I just felt like I was one with the bike and could go forever. Having the proper “tools” made all the difference in the world. I rode for probably an hour and a half or more and decided I probably needed to go home and spend time with my hubby and get some supper going. To my surprise when I arrived, he had just finished roto-tilling the garden and was getting on his bike to go for a ride. He motioned for me to turn my bike and head back out, this time following him. That absolutely made my day; I love the times we get to ride together so much and it doesn’t happen very often so I wasn’t about to say no!! Again I was very thankful for the proper gear so I was still warm enough even now that the sun was starting to go down some.

Again today it was windy and on the first ride of the day that meant sweatshirt and vest, then the second ride was just t-shirt and vest. As you can tell our Spring weather is a bit wacky right now but at least it’s still rideable. I feel bad for others I see that are posting pictures of more snow making riding for them impossible. Riding has also become a “tool” for me to deal with every day life and have that alone time with God.

In all areas of life we need the proper tools; tools for building, clothes for riding, and directions for everything. One of the biggest tools I need EVERY day is God’s word. Every ride begins with a prayer before I even leave my driveway.

Some days it seems I pray all day long, other days it’s just here and there. The fact that I can pray anytime, anywhere, is an amazing tool I know I need. I know if I give it to God, it’s handled. It may or may not be handled the way I want it to be, but I know it’s handled the way it needs to be, if I give it over to Him. I need His word in my mind and my heart daily.

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, not are your ways my ways,” says the Lord.

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. ”

I am so glad I can go to Him and know that He will answer prayers. It may not be in the time I want or the answer I want, but if it’s His will, it’s the right time and the right way.

His word is a tool I need in my heart and mind every day.