Enjoy the Ride!

I believe I’ve declared it before, but here it goes again: I. LOVE. SUMMER!

I just can’t get enough of it. Since the last one was a rather challenging one for me, dealing with thyroid cancer and all, this one I decided I was going to enjoy as much as possible. So I went ahead and got myself a PRETTY cool bike! A bicycle, that is, not a motorcycle. Although, that would have been SUPER COOL! WAY cooler than I can handle. So I had to settle for one of those you pedal. 

At any rate, I ordered it online, since I don’t have a way to carry it in my car. The only problem with that was that it sat in my garage inside its box for longer than I had wanted…I am NOT complaining! Anyway, Dan did manage to put it together after he cleared out some time and the “missing” screw got shipped. (The quotation marks are because the screw wasn’t actually “missing,” but that’s another story…again, I AM NOT COMPLAINING HERE! : )

It was worth the wait, I tell you! The bike is perfect for me. It fits me just right. It is VERY comfy and it has gotten my sons outside to ride their own bikes, which is a HUGE win. 

The thing is that this bike has reminded me how much I used to love riding. As a little girl, I used to dream about just getting on my bicycle and riding around the neighborhood. It stayed a dream most of the time, however, since my parents didn’t allow me to do that very often. They were always very protective and nervous about me getting hurt…like I was clumsy, or something??!! : )

That’s why I didn’t have very many chances to experience the joy of riding freely, but when I did, I soaked it up completely, for it was so precious to me. There was nothing like it! Those were the days of helmet-free riding, so I absolutely took it all in, from feeling the breeze caressing my face, and my hair running wildly with the wind to the sights and views speeding pass my eyes. I even enjoyed the occasional scrapped knee which I had to carefully hide from my parents not to cause a commotion. 

Today, I praise the Lord for I finally got me a bike that I can ride to my heart’s content! But there is something else I praise Him for, and it is the ability to get out there, outside, and see! I give Him thanks for allowing me to have an un-obstructed view of the wonders that He has created for us to enjoy.

I praise Him for summer! I praise Him for my cool bike. I praise Him for good health to ride it. And I even praise Him for the sore muscles that remind me that I’m still alive!

...where morning dawns, where evening fades,

you call forth songs of joy.

You care for the land and water it;

you enrich it abundantly.

The streams of God are filled with water

to provide the people with grain,

for so you have ordained it.

You drench its furrows and level its ridges;

you soften it with showers and bless its crops.

You crown the year with your bounty,

and your carts overflow with abundance.

The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;

the hills are clothed with gladness.

The meadows are covered with flocks

and the valleys are mantled with grain;

they shout for joy and sing.  Psalm 65: 8b-13