Today's blog has two parts, but they are not exactly separate as you will see.
Yesterday, my husband and I participated in our first Spirit Ride with Gail's Harley Davidson in Belton, Missouri. A lifetime biker, my husband and I have never been on a ride of this magnitude.
We are truly blessed to be a part of Gail's motorcycle family because not only is she friendly and accessible to everyone, she believes in living life to its fullest – and her enthusiasm is infectious.
Spirit Ride is an all day event in which a rally begins at the dealership and runs for about 5 hours, during which time there is music, shopping, vendors, bike washes, demonstrations and overall fellowship between bikers.
With what appeared to be several hundred motorcyclists in and out of the dealership throughout the day, there was absolute peace and fun all day long. Ages ranged from young to very old and every possible variety of professions. The day wasn't limited to Harley's either, there were a number of other bikes that participated – Gail's rally's do not discriminate.
The Spirit Ride honors veterans and benefitted the National World War I Museum in Kansas City.
At 4:30 p.m., we began lining up after brief instructions on how we would ride to the museum. With a full sheriff's department escort, as well as a military presence, hundreds of bikers proceeded in single file out of the dealership and onto Highway 71 (now 49) from Belton toward Kansas City.
Having never been on a ride like this, I was moved to tears as the entire highway was closed with officers stationed at every on-ramp. Drivers appeared not angry at the delay, but moved instead, with many out of their cars, hand over their heart or saluting – while others videotaped the procession ... moving at only about 35 MPH the entire way.
Patriotic? You bet. Moving? Undeniable.
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| The National WWI Museum in Kansas City, Missouri |
Once we got to the museum and beheld the beautiful monument and structure, along with the long lines of motorcycles on each side of the parking boulevard, it also moved us to tears.
Our salute is to the men and women who have served our country for hundreds of years – fighting for not just our freedoms, but for those in foreign countries. We have fought so all can enjoy what we have here in America.
My husband signed up with the Air Force while we were still involved in the Vietnam War, but by the time he was out of training, the war was over and I am lucky to still have him by my side.
Daily we lose men and women in the current conflict and others come home maimed with scars that are mental as well as physical. Such is the stuff of war as it has been for thousands of years.
And so what leads me into this brief second part of today's blog, is the fast rate at which our lives go by. A Kenny Chesney song, "Don't Blink," summarizes life perfectly as he sings about a 102 year old man being interviewed about what the secret to his long life is.
The message is to not let life pass you by. It's far too short. As I looked at exhibits at the WWI museum and realized that the year the war began was my father's birth year (1914) and the year it ended, 1919, my mother was just 2 and Dad was 5. They have already lived their lives and passed on.
My husband and I are on the north side of our 50s and are watching our children grow older, each with children of their own. Some day our lives will be over and our children will be on the north side of 50 too.
It seems as if I blinked and my own childhood was gone. My parents were old, my mother dying young at 65, following her first grandchild, who was killed at 18. They were gone so quickly and now my Dad and sister have passed as well, with just my brother and I left.
We must not miss a thing – not a hug, a kiss, an "I love you," for life is too short. Remember to stop and smell the roses. Take the time to listen to a child, to his/her wonderment at the new life he/she is exploring – it will remind you of how great life truly is.
My father once gave me a poem because he knew I was a "type A" personality, I was ambitious and rarely took the time to slow down and he wanted me to take the time to know that the "race is not for the swift."
As we take the time to slow ourselves and enjoy life, may we also remember the service men and women who have sacrificed for us and our freedoms – who gave of their own lives so that we may live freely, those who returned home and suffered mentally and/or physically, who have seen such atrocities that no human should ever see.
God Bless Our America
"Slow Me Down Lord"
Slow me down Lord
Ease the pounding of my heart
by the quieting of my mind.
Steady my hurried pace
with a vision of the eternal march of time.
Give me amid the confusion of the day,
the calmness of the eternal hills.
Break the tension of my nerves and muscles
with the soothing music of the singing streams
that live in my memory.
Help me to know the magical restoring power of sleep.
Teach me the art of taking MINUTE vacations,
Of slowing down to look at a flower,
to chat with a friend,
to pat a dog,
to read a few lines of a good book.
Slow me down Lord
and inspire me to send my roots
deep into the soil of life's enduring values
that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny.
Ease the pounding of my heart
by the quieting of my mind.
Steady my hurried pace
with a vision of the eternal march of time.
Give me amid the confusion of the day,
the calmness of the eternal hills.
Break the tension of my nerves and muscles
with the soothing music of the singing streams
that live in my memory.
Help me to know the magical restoring power of sleep.
Teach me the art of taking MINUTE vacations,
Of slowing down to look at a flower,
to chat with a friend,
to pat a dog,
to read a few lines of a good book.
Slow me down Lord
and inspire me to send my roots
deep into the soil of life's enduring values
that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny.
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