Ramblings of a Christian Grandma Biker

I was determined to get a ride in yesterday before today’s 100% chance of rain forecast and I’m so glad I did! Usually I love to ride in the Fall to see the beautiful colors of the changing leaves, as well as the pansies, mums, and the roses that are still in bloom. This Fall has been very different as far as the weather. It seems like we went from summer to winter temperatures over night, not to mention having 2 hurricanes go through.

The view was not the typical Fall view I had hoped for. The leaves this year don’t seem as vibrant with their colors as I recall them being most years. It was of course still a good ride, they all are 😀, it just wasn’t what I was hoping for in that sense.

I noticed how dull the leaves looked on most of the trees, but then every once in a while there would be a lone tree with bright beautiful leaves. What was the difference in that particular tree that it was so beautiful among the others? How was it so vibrant and noticeable while the others were not? Was it the variety or something else that made it different? The storms I’m sure may have had an affect on the colors due to the rain, wind, and/or the changing temperatures. So many factors probably have to be just right for the colors to be vibrant, the trees after all don’t have a choice what they will look like.

People on the other hand do have a choice. The storms in our lives have an affect on us as well, but we can ultimately choose to be “dull” or vibrant. We can allow the storms to beat us down and leave us feeling gloomy, or we can fight back and choose to be lively and spirited in spite of them. We do not have to allow ourselves to ever feel defeated. We can be more like the pansies with their happy little faces shining forward.

Think about that for a minute. When I was growing up being called a pansy was a negative comment and I’ve even heard comments from some about certain bikes being “for pansies “. Looking at that beautiful cheery little flower makes me think of only positive things, it’s all about perspective and choices and going forward if by chance I’m ever referred to as a pansy I’ll take that as a compliment!

On those rides and days when things may not seem spectacular, look a little further, a little deeper inside, and just maybe you’ll see something you missed.

John 10:10

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Philippians 4:4

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

These 3 words kept popping in my mind today while I was riding.

Have any of you ever had to reboot or refresh your computer or cell phone in order to get it to work properly or complete its updates? Have you ever delayed doing it for fear of losing something if it didn’t work correctly?

Today before riding I had to refresh my thoughts about riding gear due to the fact we finally got some cooler Fall weather. I knew I was going to need to wear my leather jacket and full finger gloves in order to be warm enough. This was a very welcome change but I’ll admit I was a bit apprehensive about the jacket. I bought it last year and it was a little tighter than I like when I got it, but I bought it from someone across the country and therefore was not able to try it on prior to purchasing. As I got ready today I was pleasantly surprised when it actually fit better than when I purchased it. Sometimes we dread the “what ifs” and may miss out on something good because of it. What if I had been so hesitant about the jacket than I didn’t even try it on? (I probably would have been discouraged and cold.)

Sometimes like our technological items, we need to refresh, reboot, and/or restore our thinking and/or our actions. As I was riding today and earlier this week I found myself thinking about last weekend. My hubby and I used to “get away” pretty regularly but in the past few years that’s changed due to various reasons. This past weekend we did get away, however, for the first time in over a year and it was for longer than our usual 1 or 2 nights we used to do, it was for 3 nights. We stayed in a very remote location in a cabin that was so quiet, peaceful, cooler and totally refreshing. We didn’t do a bunch of activities like some do when they take a vacation, we just enjoyed time away and alone trying to just relax. It was a time to refresh. The area we were in was not heavily populated, had many dirt roads, beautiful sunsets, and things just seemed more laid back. It took us some time to unwind from the usual pace and thoughts of life and by the time we needed to leave to head home, we really just wanted to stay longer. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible, but it didn’t stop us from taking our time heading home by taking back roads and continuing to enjoy the wonderful country mountain scenery and each other’s company.

Too often I find, at least for myself, that I get into the daily routines of life and don’t take enough time to restore and reboot myself. I get in my rides which definitely help, but sometimes it needs to be more. The weekend away was something we both needed.

Why do we often think that we can just go and go and never need to stop and rest? Many times when people do withdraw and take time for themselves and to be alone, others say they are anti-social or selfish or any number of other adjectives. If Jesus who never sinned needed to take time to be alone to rest, to pray, to make decisions, to deal with grief and life’s demands, then why shouldn’t we?!

Luke 5:16

So He Himself often withdrew to the wilderness and prayed.

Mark 1:35

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.

Matthew 14:23

After He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on a mountain by himself to pray. And when evening had come, He was alone there.

This was one of the beautiful sunsets we enjoyed on our getaway. God’s artwork is the best. It’s easy to see why Jesus often went up on a mountain to pray.

The past few rides have been very relaxing. The weather was a bit cooler and I actually wore long sleeves on one ride which was a welcome change. I love when Fall starts to show hints it’s coming, although it’s not quite as cool as it should be yet.

There was a recent sad story in the news around here that probably many of you also heard about. A little 6 year old boy with autism was missing and several days later he was found in a creek. I’ve thought about that often since it happened, both when I’m riding and when I’m not.

It really hit me hard. I don’t know if it’s because I work with individuals who also have autism, or because I have small grandchildren now, or maybe because I too had boys. All I know is life isn’t fair sometimes and it made me hug my granddaughters a little bit tighter. No parent should have to bury their child, but unfortunately it happens. In this case we don’t yet have all the answers, maybe we never will. The fact remains that they will miss him every day of their lives, but at least he’s in a better place, in the arms of Jesus.

I’ve thought quite a bit on these last rides about how quickly people started to jump to their own conclusions about what happened before little Maddox was even found. Why do some people always think the worst in situations like this and why do they feel the need to share it with the world on social media and other venues? Does it help anyone really? No. Were they there? No. Have they ever had a child get away from them or have any experience with a child with autism? I bet the answer is no for most here as well.

I don’t know what happened myself, but I do know what it’s like to lose sight of your child and the panic that immediately sets in. On my first ride after they found this little boy, I couldn’t help but think back on the time I felt that panic.

My oldest son was about 2. A friend of mine and I had headed from where I live now to where we used to live. She was going to see friends and family and didn’t want to travel the 1,000 miles alone so my son and I went along and I went to visit my family as well. We stopped about halfway there so we could get a hotel for the night and let my son get out to run around and play after all of the day’s riding. He has always been a great traveler but at that young age he needed to get rid of some energy and we were tired of sitting too.

As we unloaded the car, he ran in and out of the room in nothing but a diaper and was quite happy. Being pregnant, I of course needed to use the rest room. I left the door open so he could still see me if needed and asked my friend to keep an eye on him. When I came out, I didnt see him. I asked her where he was and she didn’t know, she assumed he’d come to see me. Looking back, having no children of her own she didn’t realize how closely you must watch a child that age and also how quickly they can disappear. Panic and fear were immediate for me. We were just off the exit from a busy highway. He was in nothing but a diaper and at this point had no real fear of dangers. Granted it was over 20 years ago so the world wasn’t quite as crazy as it is now, but this momma was hormonal and in momma bear mode. Nobody better mess with my boy. After what seemed like an eternity but was only minutes, a man brought him around the corner to me. He had heard me calling for my son and led him to me. This motel had little hallways between every few rooms and apparently as I went down one, he went down another and I just missed him. My son in all honesty was having fun and probably saw it as a game but that was definitely not how I saw it. Once he was back in my arms my emotions were mixed. Part of me wanted to hold him tight and never let him go and part of me wanted to give him a serious scolding and a smack on the butt for taking off. I can tell you from that day forward, I never fully entrusted someone else to watch my children at that young age except a few people I knew would watch them like me. I was probably over protective in many instances but I figured better safe than sorry. I also made sure I reminded them often about not getting out of my sight and about strangers. It used to bother me occasionally when someone would tell me my sons were “momma’s boys ” but I got over it. I have 2 boys that may still be described that way from time to time but that’s ok, I’m proud of them and they’ve turned into fine young men. They both have wonderful young ladies that love them just the way they are. 😃

How many times have you been in situations and heard someone say, “If that was me I would have…”? The truth is until you are in any given situation you don’t truly know what you would do. Hypothetical situations are not the same as reality. We don’t know what we’ll do in most circumstances until we are face to face with reality.

We are often too quick to judge and too slow to just stop and think before we speak or write what pops in our minds. I’m guilty of it and I’m sure if you’re honest you can think of times when you were as well. It’s a part of who we are in this often much too negative and crazy world we live in. The media thrives on it and we fall victim to it.

This also reminded me of the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15:1-7. The Shepard left the sheep in the open field and went to look for the one that was lost. We need to look for and help those who are lost. Maybe they are physically lost or maybe they are spiritually lost. We are supposed to help others, not condemn or judge them. We need to lift each other up with our prayers and our support in whatever place they’re at. We need to meet people where they’re at and go alongside them to comfort them, to lead them, to physically, mentally, and spiritually feed them, and just to let them know they’re not alone. We don’t need to wait until there is a crisis like a missing boy to come together in our communities and help one another.

Be the light in this sometimes dark world.

Matthew 5:16

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.”

We must show works and faith.

James 2:26

“For as the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

Its not just enough to believe, we must show our faith and belief through the things we do and say.

One of my favorite hymns is Amazing Grace-

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.”

God’s love, grace, and mercy never cease to amaze me. I cannot do it alone, I need Him every minute of every day.

I’ve finally been able to get out and ride a couple of times since Hurricane Florence came crawling through our beautiful state which means, you guessed it, I’m about to ramble.

Every time I ride I do a few things to prepare for the ride. I check the tires, check my mileage so I know how long I can ride before I need to stop for gas, make sure my windshield is not covered with those lovely dead bugs making my sight limited, make sure my gps location is sharing with my hubby, and then of course I prepare my mind with a prayer before leaving. I planned to ride on Friday before the hurricane hit, but when I told my hubby my plans he told me it was taking a chance because the winds were already picking up. He then said I “really shouldn’t be on the bike.” Initially I was bummed because I really wanted to get in a ride before the storm, but then after thinking about it I instead felt very blessed. I am blessed to have a hubby who loves me enough to tell me something even when he knows I don’t want to hear it, because he knows it’s in my best interest. I agreed to stay off the bike that day.

Florence wreaked havoc from the coast to the mountains and beyond. As I rode today and Tuesday I was thinking back at things that occurred prior to, during, and after her visit. We were warned that this storm would mean possible record making rains that would most definitely cause flooding as well as strong winds that could cause downed trees and power outages. Living in the country, that means if we lose power we also have no water. I decided we needed to be prepared ahead of time in order to have peace if the predictions held true. Rather than trying to rush to the store at the last minute for things I went early in the week and got some simple things we could cook on the grill or eat without heating, got extra propane for the grill, and some other basic necessities. I also filled up some gallon jugs with water to drink, filled a 55 gallon barrel with water for flushing toilets, and filled a plastic storage tub with water to wash up with if needed. My dogs got extra cedar shavings too so their houses might be a little bit drier if the wind blew rain in, which it did.

The storm came through very slowly and it dumped plenty of rain that did cause flooding and washed out roads. The wind blew pretty consistently with a few strong gusts that made the entire house feel like it was shaking and it did cause power outages, though we never lost power. No matter how bad it seemed to get I had an inner peace. The wind howled and the rain poured out of the sky, but there was peace.

I thought back to my faithful little hummingbird that’s been here all summer. On Friday even as the winds were picking up, there it was trying to get some nectar. I noticed it going from hole to hole, rather than sitting and drinking like it normally does. After it flew away I went to check the feeder and the ants had found it. I quickly cleaned it out and got fresh nectar made in case it was able to return again before the winds got too bad. I contemplated taking it down at night due to the winds but decided to leave it out just in case this determined little beauty returned. As soon as the rain and winds calmed down, it was right back at the feeder! A dove was back happily splashing in the bird bath as well.

Thinking about this as I rode made me also think of the scripture Matthew 6:26 ” Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Surely if God can protect and provide for something as small and fragile as a humming bird during a hurricane, he can protect and provide for me. This is where my peace comes from. I know I am in His hands and He will take care of me if I do my part as well. I am as prepared as a person can be for death, and I do not fear it. I still want to see my beautiful grand daughters growing up and have many more things I’d like to share with my hubby and the rest of my family, but when He decides it’s my time, it’s my time and I’m ok with that. It’s all about being prepared in order to have peace.

Until that day comes, I just want to live my life well!

John 14:27

“Peace I leave with you, My Peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Switchfoot has a song called, Live it Well. The chorus says:

Life is short I want to live it well

One life, one story to tell

Life is short I want to live it well

And you’re the one I’m living for

Awaken, oh my soul!

Every breath that you take is a miracle

Life is short I want to live it well.

The last verse then says:

I got one life and one love

I got one voice

But maybe that’s enough

‘Cause with one heartbeat

And two hands to give

I got one shot

One life to live

Every breath you take is a miracle

Life is short I want to live it well.

So prepare yourselves, have peace, and live!

Communication is a key component to our lives and there are so many ways we communicate, sometimes when we may not even realize we are. In a class I teach at work we discuss a study that claims that only 7% of human communication is verbal, or the spoken word. Think about that for a minute. That means 93% of our communication is nonverbal; our facial expressions, our posture, our body language, our tones, and our other actions.

As I thought about that today while riding I realized that I have most definitely gotten myself in more trouble with my tone, facial expressions, and body language than I have with the actual words I’ve spoken. It’s not something I’m proud of and I am trying to work on, but I’m sure I’m not alone in this.

Our state of mind when we hear something and when we read something has an affect on how we interpret what we hear or read. I can think of so many times when I have been a part of miscommunication due to the way I interpreted what I heard or read because of my own state of mind, not that of the person communicating to me. Have you ever read a text or email and later discovered that what you “heard” was not at all what was meant? Have you ever sent a text or email and the receiver has interpreted it in a way other than how you intended it?

Even when we are driving we are communicating by the way we drive; the speed, our attention to the road, whether or not we wave, and using our blinkers (turn signals). That last one, blinkers, is something I notice more and more that drivers are not using when they should be which definitely miscommunicates their intentions. When I’m on the bike I always do the “biker wave” to other bikes I meet, most wave back but some don’t. That is communicating as well. Maybe they aren’t comfortable waving, maybe they just choose not to.

I also noticed that the leaves are slowly starting to fall from the trees. Several farmers are now beginning to harvest their corn which means watching the road for pieces of dry corn cob now in addition to grass clippings and leaves. Additionally it means the deer will be more active as they seek corn that may have been left behind in the fields. These are all nature’s way of communicating that Summer is coming to an end and Fall is on it’s way. I personally look forward to the cooler temperatures and the beautiful Fall colors on the trees that come along with this season.

My mom recently had a problem with her Facebook account. This for her is a line of communication. She has trouble hearing on the phone often and this is a way she and I can communicate, by sending private messages back and forth. We can have the communication without the phone issues. We have an ongoing joke about using the phone, she says I talk too fast and I tell her she listens too slow. She also uses it to post “good morning” and “have a good night” posts and Bible verses that she finds on other sites. If she doesn’t send them out, there are a few of her friends who truly miss them and always want to know if she’s ok. Needless to say I added a message on her page that she was having computer issues so those ladies wouldn’t worry, until we got her back up and running again.

My conversations with God are communication but I don’t hear him in an audible voice. It’s an internal communication through my mind and heart. He speaks to us through His word; the Bible, through prayers, and in other ways. We only have to believe and to truly listen. Reading scripture is like reading emails and texts in the sense that I can read the same scriptures multiple times and get something different out of them each time. This is because of my mood, what I’m going through, and what season of life I’m in when I read them.

Reading them while I was in the midst of raising 3 boys was different than reading them now that they’re all grown. The circumstances of life have an affect on our perception of things. Scriptures can also be misinterpreted due to taking them out of context, ignoring other verses that come before or after that explain how they were intended based on the whole picture. This has caused many to misquote God and to lead others astray for their own benefit.

Each of us must read the scriptures for ourselves and only we can make the decisions for our own life. Other people can communicate their thoughts to us, but ultimately the decisions are our own. I can communicate my thoughts to you through my ramblings, but how you perceive them is up to you alone. I simply am sharing my thoughts and have no power or intentions to change anyone but myself. We are all in this world for a reason and it’s up to us to see figure out that reason for ourselves. For me, I just try to be better today than I was yesterday. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I fail, but I’ll keep trying until the day He calls me home.

Karen Peck and New River have a song called, I choose Christ and the chorus is as follows:

“I choose Christ when everything around me says give up, I choose faith, I choose to trust to believe He is good. He’ll come through like He said He would every time, oh I choose Christ.”

Rejection: the state of being rejected

Respect: admire, think highly of

Many times when I ride a word will pop in my head and it becomes the title of my next blog. I’ve ridden several times since I last wrote. Sometimes when I get back its obvious what I’m being guided to ramble about, other times I’m unsure if I’m supposed to ramble at all or just reflect personally. This has been the case recently. These two words have been flying around in my mind and I wasn’t convinced until today that I was to share some thoughts on them.

Have you ever felt rejected? I’m sure most of us have felt that way at least once in our lives. I know personally when I’ve felt that way I’ve sometimes taken it very personally and it’s most likely one of the reasons why I tend to not get really close to too many people. Some people handle it better than others like anything else, and for some people it may really not bother them a whole lot at all. They just take it in stride and move on.

I will say that as I’ve gotten older I take this and many other things more in stride now. As I’ve been riding and reflecting on these words, it made me think about specific rejections we can experience. If we take the time to stop and analyze them, we might realize that when we thought WE were being rejected, it may have just been our idea or thoughts that were being rejected, not us personally. It may have even been that it wasn’t truly a complete rejection, but maybe the thought or idea just needed some fine tuning.

Have you ever been the one who did the rejecting? Were you rejecting the person or the idea? This is where respect comes in to play. If we don’t treat someone with respect as we reject a thought or an idea, it will come across more like we are rejecting the person. Don’t get me wrong, there are times I know when I’ve rejected a person, for good reason. There are also times when I’m sure I have come across harsher than I intended in rejecting an idea, and may have caused someone to feel as I was rejecting them instead.

We can reject a thought yet still show respect to the person. I guess sometimes, if it’s a subject that’s very near and dear to you, your passion for it can overshadow the need to also respect each other’s differences if we’re not careful. I know I’ve been guilty of this on occasion. I have had a passion all of my life for helping those considered as less fortunate, or troubled, or in need of some extra help. If there is any way I can make life easier or more meaningful to someone, I’m determined to do my best to help them. Sometimes this can be misunderstood or misinterpreted by some, but as long as we are doing it with the right heart and mindset I believe that’s ok.

Matthew 25:40 NIV

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus, not just when it’s easy or convenient, but all of the time.

If you’ve read much of the Bible, you know He committed not even one sin, yet he was rejected and disrespected repeatedly.

Did this stop Him from loving anyone? No

Did it make Him give up on anyone? No

He never gives up on us, we give up on Him, on ourselves, and on each other.

He died on the cross for us, there is no greater love than that, and he did it even though He was rejected and disrespected.

Life seems to be all a matter of perspective. I’ve come to realize that more and more lately. Last night while riding I got to thinking about it quite a bit. The ride itself was wonderful. I felt totally relaxed and nothing seemed to hinder the ride. The air felt just a little cooler and less humid and I noticed some of the leaves have started to fall. Summer will soon be over and Fall will arrive. I personally look forward to the colorful leaves and cooler, drier weather.

I’m not quite ready to have to wear layers when I ride , but needing a long sleeve shirt would be great, as it would mean not being soaked in sweat every day 😀. Even the weather is about perspective, everyone sees each season differently.

If you’ve been following along you know a weekend get away we recently planned fell through. We rarely make plans any more in advance because it seems they most often get changed. Again this past week we made a plan, and I was sure nothing would stop this from happening as I knew God would approve! You probably know the saying, “Never say never.” Once again, at the very last minute, it became obvious the plans were not going to happen. We went through so many emotions; anger, frustration, disappointment, wondering how it could fall apart when it seemed like it was meant to be. I wanted to yell, scream, cry and have a pity party but none of that would have helped so instead I remained silent and just kept wondering why and “stewing” in my own mind. As I rode last night I realized that as frustrating as it was to us, there are definitely others who have experienced worse recently. That doesn’t mean the frustration and disappointment weren’t warranted or that I now understand, but as they say, “It could always be worse.”

I rode past a house where someone I know grew up and who was a daddy’s girl. She lost her dad within the last year or so not long after he was diagnosed with leukemia. Then just a few weeks ago, she and her husband lost their baby girl only a few weeks before she was due. I can’t even begin to imagine what she is going through, so yes it can always be worse.

Life has a way of knocking you down sometimes, but when it’s all said and done, how we deal with it has to do with our perspective at the time. I love how much clearer I can see things after the fact when I ride, but it sure would be nice to be able to see that clearly in the midst of things sometimes too.

I think back to when I was first learning to ride on my little Suzuki 250 and how unsure of myself I was at the time. Going around curves and making turns seemed almost scary at times. Now that I’ve moved up, twice, to a bigger and way more powerful bike, it seems foolish now. How I have reacted in certain life situations is much like that. At the time the situations may have seemed huge, but looking back with new perspective, not all were so huge.

Disappointments will happen, it’s all how we choose to deal with it that determines our mood and how we approach things going forward. No matter how often I try to remind myself of this, I still fail to react the way I should sometimes. I guess all any of us can do is try to be better today than we were yesterday, learn along the way, and know that He is always there for us.

“Peace, be still!” (Mark 4:39)

Today’s long ride was fantastic! It was all about relaxing and just enjoying the view. I have done quite a bit of soul searching and self evaluating lately but today I just wanted to ride, clear my mind, and enjoy the view.

Before I even left our yard, I saw a beautiful fox go running across the driveway. That’s not something you really expect or want to see in broad daylight, but it was a beautiful dark red color and ran so gracefully and care free with it’s long tail flowing behind.

As I rode today I also saw a gorgeous cinnamon colored doe standing along the border of the woods in the shade. She heard me coming and just raised her head from eating at the edge of the cornfield and stood majestically with her ears up straight and at attention but just watched as I rode by. She knew I was of no danger to her.

I rode across a concrete bridge over a river that I’ve crossed many times as its one of my favorite roads to ride. Today I specifically chose it so I could see how high the water got this past week during the heavy rains we experienced. The river was definitely higher than it has been but not nearly as high as it was during the storms. As I passed over I could see dried mud on the leaves of trees much higher along the shore that were apparently under water during the recent rains.

I saw lush green grass as well as some not so lush that was freshly mowed and in the road. 🙄 There were crepe myrtles that were such a deep red they were almost burgundy. Also present were many delicate looking flowers in white, periwinkle, red, pink and yellow.

The sky was showing varying colors of blue depending on the time of day and where I was. The clouds were very different as well. Some were almost transparent, some were slightly gray, while others were big and white and fluffy almost like big balls of cotton. That brings me to the fields of cotton that are starting to really bloom. The blossoms are opening up and presenting a promise of the cotton that will soon abound. Once this happens we’ll have huge fields that will overflow with so much cotton they’ll look like snow covered fields much like these from last year.

My brother lives 1000 miles from me and has never seen this in person as he always travels here in cooler weather, so hubby took me to get these pictures last year to share with him.

How many times have there been amazing sights we’ve missed because we were so focused on where we were going, or thinking about our day that is ending, is just beginning, or any of the other million things that try to invade our days so we miss enjoying the view?

I witnessed families swimming in the lake, dads fishing with their sons and daughters, many others riding bikes like I was. It was amazing to see such wonderful memories were being made as the summer starts to come to an end.

There’s a vast beauty that awaits us every day, if we only take the time to enjoy it. The beauty can be heard as well as seen. It can be views like I saw today or the voice of a loved one, laughter, a baby crying, birds, streams, the ocean, or any number of sounds.

I for one am so grateful that I was able to take the time to experience it today. I’m thankful I have an understanding hubby that knows I need ride time in order to refocus and to be able to encounter times like these.

It’s a big beautiful world out there, get out and enjoy the view.

Psalm 145:5

They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

Psalm 90:17

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes establish the work of our hands.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

He has made everything beautiful in it’s time. Also he has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

Do you ever feel like life is one long test? Like no matter how much planning or preparation you do, something will happen to either test you or make your plans change completely?

Well that was me this weekend. We haven’t been away at all for a year now so we decided being this was our 10th anniversary we deserved it and we were going to go away. I had even requested off 5 months ago!

We decided we were going to make it a long weekend away for some much needed quality time together. We do now get to spend more time together, quantity wise, since hubby quit his 2nd shift job, but we still need that quality time occassionally.

As you’ve probably guessed by now, that didn’t happen. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we decided it was best to postpone our weekend get away. That didn’t mean we had to give up our quality time together for these 3 days, it just took different planning. This was a test we needed to pass for us.

We came up with a new plan and we were determined to carry it through. There are a few people in my life I have a hard time saying “no” to, and although I didn’t think there was any chance I would have to do that this weekend, I was again wrong. It was hard for me initially, but I said no and felt like this was just another test, to see if I would carry through and remain committed to just us this weekend.

Riding was not in our initial plans this weekend, but it found it’s way in due to the change and I’m very thankful it did. As we headed out Sunday for a ride together it was an amazing feeling, yet I again felt like I was being tested. When I ride alone I’m totally carefree and pressure free. I absolutely love when we get the chance to ride together, but I realized as we started out, I was feeling pressured, not as carefree. I was not riding as relaxed and this was a pressure I put on myself. I felt like when I was back in school getting ready to take a big test. I always wanted to make my mom and dad proud and do my best to get a great grade.

As we rode I realized I was over thinking my moves and holding on too tight, because I wanted to make my hubby proud to ride with me and to see how far I’ve come in just under 3 years since learning to ride, thanks to him. He’s been riding all of his life so I know I’ll never be as experienced as he is, I just didn’t want to disappoint him. Once I realized what I was doing, I relaxed more and felt less pressured. Again, this was something I’d done to myself so only I could fix it. The ride became much more enjoyable and fun! I know I probably held back further than was necessary, but I always feel if I ride too closely I won’t have time to react appropriately if there’s a sudden stop or change in direction.

We pulled off on a side road at one point to check our location, we didn’t have a set route we planned out ahead of time. When we were ready to go, we needed to turn around to get back on the main road. Hubby asked me if I could turn around, in the road. I said it might take me a minute but yes I could. ( This was a dead end and little traveled road so traffic was not an issue.) Another test I was determined to pass. Had I been here alone, I’d have driven down to the church ahead and used their parking lot, but I knew I could do this. I was determined to and I did. It’s not that this is hard to do, it was just a mental “fear” of turning too sharp and dropping the bike, something I had done once with my previous bike. I’m happy to say I did NOT drop the bike and I turned it around in the road. I of course did not do it as effortlessly and gracefully as he did, but I was successful, another test passed and it felt good!

The rest of the ride was wonderful. There’s just something special about riding behind him on my bike that I can’t completely explain. We stopped a few times, and he always asked if I was doing ok when we stopped. ❤ That too is special to me. I’ve read many posts by other women riders and I’m always baffled when I read how their husbands or boy friend make them feel inferior when they ride together and some actually seem to purposely ride in a way that makes their spouse/girlfriend uncomfortable. I’m thankful my hubby is not that way when we ride and I cherish the times we go together.

Our weekend plans were changed and there were tests along the way but it was still a wonderful weekend. Sometimes it’s just all in the attitude you approach the change with. I guess as many times as I’ve had to adjust to changes at work as well as when I ride, due to weather and/or road conditions and detours, change has become easier to deal with. That’s not to say I necessarily like change, but I can now tolerate it much better than I used to.

I know He always has a plan and it’s not always the same as my plan, but He will always see me through. Make time for those you love, to show them love, not just talk about it.

Psalm 18:30

As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

1 John 3:18

My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

Life is short, make every day count. Today would have been my nephew’s 39th birthday had cancer not taken him from us just 2 1/2 months shy of his 23rd birthday. I may have rambled about him before, but I don’t go back and read my ramblings once I publish them, so if I repeat myself you’ll need to forgive me.

Luke was more like my son, than my nephew. We shared a very special bond for which I’m extremely thankful to this day. He was a young man who lived life to the fullest and made no excuses for things he did. Luke was proud to serve in the United States Air Force where was a crew chief on A-10 fighter jets. It was during his time in Kuwait that he was misdiagnosed and therefore was beyond a cure once he was correctly diagnosed in Alaska. Even that didn’t stop him from living life to the fullest that the disease would allow. I had earned a trip to go anywhere, and gladly gave it to him so he could see Paris before he died. Cancer did not take away his zeal for life.

During the time he was stationed in Fayetteville, NC he had a bike and loved to push the limits on it, like everything in life. As I look now at a picture of him sitting on that bike, I wish I could ride with him just one time. I decided today I would take a long ride, in his memory, to celebrate his birthday. As I rode along, I thought about his contagious laugh. I thought about something that happened to me when I rode earlier this week that he absolutely would have laughed about. I was cruising along a country road with no weather or traffic to worry about, just enjoying the ride, when all of a sudden it happened. One of those big green June bugs hit me on my eye glasses. Now it didn’t just hit me and bounce off, that would have been too simple. Had it done that I wouldn’t have know for sure it was a June bug either. The reason I do know, is because this lovely bug clung to my glasses and actually ended up INSIDE my lens. Don’t ask me how it managed to do that while I was doing 55 mph. So now I’m cruising down the road only seeing out of one eye, as the other eye has a bug between it and my lens. I can clearly see it’s green body now. Fortunately I was on a straight section of road. I took my left hand off the handlebars in order to remove my glasses, then the bug, and return my glasses to my face so I could properly see with no extra passengers. Crazy things happen and he would have loved to laugh at that one!

As I rode today on another stretch of road that my hubby took me on quite some time ago I thought about if Luke was riding with me today. On this particular road I came to a long straight stretch that was smooth and recently repaved with a long passing zone. I knew that if he was riding behind me, he would have flown by me, laughing all the way. He would have waited for me to catch up with him later, but would definitely have had to pass me. He lived life wide open; good or bad, that was him.

I rode for hours today and learned city driving as well as enjoying some old memories. Rides I’ve taken with my hubby, memories of trips to see Luke while he was sick, thoughts along the way of bike rides I’d like to take in the future with my hubby. I also went on a new road today and I thought I knew where it came out but was totally wrong! I ended up in city traffic I never would have chosen but actually was more comfortable on my bike than I have been in my car there previously. Sometimes unexpected experiences can be good ones.

Take time to make memories, alone and also with the ones you love. You never know when you may not get that chance again. Live life abundantly-

John 10:10 NKJV

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.