Saturday, October 16, 2010

My Father's Birthday.

As I gave both my parents a hug this afternoon and waved to them as they drove off to Calgary, I felt a wave of nostalgia which heightened later when Tess visited some of her friends and I opted to stay home to take a nap. I miss them. This is a good thing.

Tomorrow is my Dad's 65th birthday and as I looked at him and observe his interactions with friends, my wife, and my mom... I am grateful to God that he is still healthy, strong, and filled with vitality. Even in retirement he is willing to throw in a helping hand, an ecouraging word, but also crack a joke here and there. I understand now where my younger sister's wit comes from. I recognize my older sister's work ethic. My siblings and I are made from the same ingredients... just mixed in different concentrations.


The picture above is particularly touching. My mom suggested it. My Dad agreed. I think they are happy because the bike is a symbol of me taking my health seriously once again. The picture is touching to me because my parents gave me my first serious bike back when I was about 15 years old.

The thing that I love about my father is that he has allowed me to see his human side. I have been witness to his struggles. But he has also shown me what it is to rise above and that this is only possible through a trusting relationship with God. For doubters (of which I have been one many a time) I present him: a person who not only preaches salvation, but has lived it.




Monday, October 11, 2010

Ride on Homies...

So now that Alberto Contador stands accused of doping more and more people are giving up on the sport of cycling. Frankly I don't blame them. I too find it disheartenning when one by one the elite of cycling continue to stain the sport with their actions. It makes one wonder how much of the spectacle that is the peleton in full flight is "real". Alberto is now threatening to retire from the sport. Maybe it is just as well.

This does not change my love of the sport - I who never made it past the grassroots level. There is something pure about clipping into your pedals on cool fall morning, heading out onto the road, and establishing a brisk pace as the kms roll away. I fell in love when I was 15 and even though there have been extended periods when I have not ridden, I have always come back.

I am grateful for all the support I have recieved on Facebook for my awkward re-entry into riding. But probably the one that means the most is the support from my "old" friend Mark Aguila whom I have known since my pre-teen years. It was Mark's and his brother Shem's influence that got me into riding back in the day. However it was Mark who joined me on my last official ride in California back in the fall of 1990. It was a short trek through the grapevines of Clovis and it is one of my most cherished childhood memories.

Now I love my bike but Mark recently picked up a beautiful GT Carbon racer complete with Zipp wheels (he paid an incredable price for them Good goin' bro!) that totally blew me away when he first posted pictures up of it. [see below]


No matter what the results are in the cases against Alberto Contador and even Lance Armstrong, the sport lives on. Those of us who ride know that it was the magic of discovering that we could pretty much go anywhere on just two wheels that got us started and it is what lies beyond the horizon that keeps us going.


Ride on my homies!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Turning Thanksgiving into Thanksliving...


It is that time of year when Canadians take a moment to think about what they are grateful for. I am proud of my adopted homeland. As I look back on this year, I find myself thinking that I have indeed been blessed in so many ways. But what follows are things that I am most thankful for.

My Wife

It pains me to see her work so hard so that she can take care of her family in the Phillippines. It saddens me when I seen how some of them appear to not even be grateful for her hard efforts. Canada isn't the Promise Land. You have to work very hard here to make it.

When I see her fall into bed beside me after giving the day her all, I can only hope that one day we will be in a position where she will not have to work so hard or at all. She takes good care of me in her own way and although sometimes I am blind to see how but I get it more and more each day.

My Siblings

Along with my parents, they are part of the few constant things in my life. I hate that we are so far apart from each other these days but I am grateful for generious Wireless Plans and Facebook that keep us connected. I want nothing but good things for them and I pray they continue down the road to thriving and prospering.

My Parents

As I get older and hopefully wiser, I can see that I have been truly blessed to have these dear people as my parents. I realize with passing day what they tried to give me and how much they sacrificed to do so. I can only hope that one day soon I can show them hat I am grateful and that their efforts were not in vain.

Friends

They are few and far between these days. My life has often ripped them from me and so I have gotten used to simply cutting them off. I prefer a private life. But those who have shown me kindness, treated me with disgression, and continued to encourage me are appreciated more than they know. God's greatest blessing.

This Thanksgiving will be simple and quiet. In these still moments, I thank God that I have been sustained, preserved, and blessed in ways that humble and awe me. I pray the same happens to all who read this. Take a moment to see that it is already happening to you.