Author: Bruce

Today when I was biking and contemplating life a bit,  I thought about my choice to take on this 2800 mile bike journey. I didn’t really think it would be all that hard but as the first day of my actual ride approached I must admit that I was a bit anxious about the daunting number of miles ahead of me. But then I realized that I just needed to focus on the first day ride and not worry about the days ahead of me. There was a major hurricane ahead of us, but that was a few days away and my worrying the first day would be unproductive as I am not in control of the weather. For those in AA one of their mantras is “One day at a time.” There is a lot of wisdom for living like that. God has something to say about worry in his Word in the book of Matthew Chapter 6 verse 27 “Can anyone of you worrying add a single hour to your life?” And in verse 34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  If you are currently overwhelmed by circumstances in your life, try to live one day at a time. Worrying about what may or may not happen in the future only causes more anxiety and we need to trust God for our future. On longer or harder days, I often break down my miles into quarters and just try and focus on a section at a time. Today after two weeks I have put in just shy of 1000 miles and can look back with a sense of accomplishment, but it was achieved just one day at a time.

Pam and I left Wichita on September 11^th on our way to Florida to begin our adventure. When I left I was excited for what was ahead but admit that I was at a low from the negativity in the press I was experiencing. This was due to the circumstances of Covid-19 and all the political fighting over this issue and our Presidential election. In addition, we had the racial issues and backlash of some angry people with police departments across the country. If one were new to the United States or visiting and watched the news or were on Facebook, they might think our country is going to fold in the near future or that a civil war is soon to happen.

Let me encourage you my friends. My take away from traveling coast to coast (not quite finished yet) is that the US is still an awesome place to live. I have experienced nothing but kindness from people of all walks of life as we have traveled from state to state. I had a number of flats during the first weeks of my trip due to riding in the rain and I think every time that I stopped to fix it, someone in a car asked if they could help or asked if I needed anything. When we were in a town in Mississippi that was extremely poor, we stopped at a coin laundry to do wash. We were the only white folks in the laundry. Pam was not exactly sure how to run the machines, but a nice lady came over and helped her. I think that we as Americans have a lot more in common than that which divides us. Yes, I am a conservative but I have friends that have different life views. One of my dearest friends is a biker named Jerry. On the political spectrum, he would be considered left of me, but we share many other things in life in common like cycling. We often end our Saturday morning bike rides with breakfast. Sometimes we have good discussions about social issues with which we disagree, but the conversations are always civil. Sadly, our country is losing the ability to disagree with someone but still have a mutual respect for each other.

So the next time you are packing your arrows to fire a shot at someone who thinks differently than you, consider pausing a moment and thinking about what you both have in common. Focus on that. Understand that the other person probably has many of the same desires and goals for their family as you do, they just see things differently in how to get there.

A bible verse that has been popping into my head recently is Psalm 15:1 NIV “A soft word turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Several years back I shared with my wife that when I retire it would be fun to buy an RV and go across the country and also ride my bike as we journey from coast to coast. Two years ago she shared with me that one can’t count on their health that far out and that we should do it in two years. This would be a way of celebrating my turning 60 and also be our 30^th wedding anniversary year. My initial reaction was “Honey, I can’t just take off work for 6 months while I’m still working” to which she responded “You’ll just have to do it faster.” And so the planning began. Pam has always been the proverbial cheerleader and encourager in my life as well as an excellent travel planner. On September 11^th, we left Wichita in our recently purchased RV and headed to Fernandina Beach, Florida. On September 14^th I dipped my rear wheel in the Atlantic and began pedaling to San Diego. Yesterday, 2500 miles later on October 23rd, I dipped my front wheel in the Pacific. There is no way I could have taken on this goal without the encouragement of my wife. Pam was the one in command of our RV everyday which is no small task, handling the power, water, sewage hookups and disconnects every day. She planned and mapped out all the routes.  This required several deviations due to two different tropical storms  and a number of other minor tweaks for various reasons. She cooked our meals, washed my smelly bike kits and kept me fueled and hydrated as I rode each day. She made my life easy…. just get up in the morning, swing my leg over the bike and get pedaling. How many wives would be willing to serve their husband in such a kind and giving way? I am blessed beyond words to express my thankfulness to God for such a great wife. Thank you, Pam, for your love and encouragement and belief in me.

Proverbs 31: 10-12

“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good and not harm all the days of her life.”

Proverbs 18:22

“He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.”