THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - I love this Irish Blessing:
"May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be ever at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And the rain fall softly on your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand."
Roxi and I took our walk yesterday and both of us were tired when we got home. Roxi needs the exercise as much as I do and she headed straight for the water when we arrived home.
The Journey - Installment Seventy-Three
In preparation for the upcoming ride which was a week away, I continued my knee exercises and continued to ride. My sweet and thoughtful husband Bob bought me a earpiece for my cell phone so that people could get in touch with me during the ride. I made sure that all my gear was ready:
biking shoes and Focus on the Family socks
FOTF shirt and pants (actually I had two sets)
my "Camel Back" water carrier (didn't actually use it on the ride; we were provide
with all the liquidswe needed. It would have contributed to additional for me
to carry.)
biking gloves
helmet
took the bike to be checked; tires pumped up
Everything seemed in order. I was really getting anxious but didn't have the overwhelming dread that had been my constant companion until that Sunday morning, the week or so before when the bird rose up to meet me.)
In January of 2001 when I received the letter of acceptance for the bike ride from FOTF, I had figured out that if 150 people sent in $20, I would have the needed $3000 for the ride. The money was to go to Focus on the Family. Their mission statement is to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in disseminating the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people worldwide as possible - specifically, to accomplish that objective by helping to preserve traditional values and the institution of the family.
At one point, I called FOTF to ask, "What if I am not able to raise the $3000. Does that mean I can't ride?" They told me that the sum of money being asked for was a goal and that many people raised way more than that amount. I was assured that I would ride no matter how much I raised. At the time of the call, only a small amount of money had come in to FOTF in my name. By the end of July 2002, almost $5000 had been raised - $4,785.00 to be exact. I was truly amazed at the generosity of everyone contributing. There were several $500 dollar donations, several $200, $100 and $50 donations. The majority of the people donated $25. One 93 year old man from our church sent a check for $10 with a encouraging note which was barely legible because his handwriting was so shaky. He said that if I felt extra weight on the back of my bike, he'd be there riding with me. I believe that dear Wanda, our pastor's wife told me the same thing. As much as I would have liked the company, the idea of carrying extra weight was something I didn't even want to contemplate. I thanked God for all the generous people who contributed to FOTF on my behalf. So to all those people, the blessing above is for you.
biking shoes and Focus on the Family socks
FOTF shirt and pants (actually I had two sets)
my "Camel Back" water carrier (didn't actually use it on the ride; we were provide
with all the liquidswe needed. It would have contributed to additional for me
to carry.)
biking gloves
helmet
took the bike to be checked; tires pumped up
Everything seemed in order. I was really getting anxious but didn't have the overwhelming dread that had been my constant companion until that Sunday morning, the week or so before when the bird rose up to meet me.)
In January of 2001 when I received the letter of acceptance for the bike ride from FOTF, I had figured out that if 150 people sent in $20, I would have the needed $3000 for the ride. The money was to go to Focus on the Family. Their mission statement is to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in disseminating the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people worldwide as possible - specifically, to accomplish that objective by helping to preserve traditional values and the institution of the family.
At one point, I called FOTF to ask, "What if I am not able to raise the $3000. Does that mean I can't ride?" They told me that the sum of money being asked for was a goal and that many people raised way more than that amount. I was assured that I would ride no matter how much I raised. At the time of the call, only a small amount of money had come in to FOTF in my name. By the end of July 2002, almost $5000 had been raised - $4,785.00 to be exact. I was truly amazed at the generosity of everyone contributing. There were several $500 dollar donations, several $200, $100 and $50 donations. The majority of the people donated $25. One 93 year old man from our church sent a check for $10 with a encouraging note which was barely legible because his handwriting was so shaky. He said that if I felt extra weight on the back of my bike, he'd be there riding with me. I believe that dear Wanda, our pastor's wife told me the same thing. As much as I would have liked the company, the idea of carrying extra weight was something I didn't even want to contemplate. I thanked God for all the generous people who contributed to FOTF on my behalf. So to all those people, the blessing above is for you.
Thanks Barbara....Let's see me and Don and that little 93 year old man....you would have needed more than a sidecar.
ReplyDeleteYou see how many people were blessed because you did what God asked you to do.
This continues to be such a good story. So glad you are writing it down for us.
May you always have
ReplyDeleteWalls for the winds,
A roof for the rain,
Tea beside the fire,
Laughter to cheer you,
Those you love near you,
And all your heart might desire!
Happy St. Patrick's Day, dear Barbie:-)
It must have been such a wonderful feeling to know that so many people supported you and donated so much money for the cause. With the race being only a week away, I can well imagine how nervous you were getting! xoxo
It is amazing that I never heard that story about the 93 year old man. It is so great you are telling the story, when you were doing this I don't believe I even knew half of what was going on :)).
ReplyDelete