Escort Ride for the Wall that Heals

Viet Nam Memorial Bike
Originally uploaded by bethmrogers

I took a ride yesterday I will never forget - I saw things on that ride that made me proud to be an American (I know how corny that sounds but it's true). I'm also proud to live in a part of the US where it's a normal thing to show pride in our country and it's heroes.
We met in the parking lot of the Travel America truck stop in Marianna, Florida. Bikes were everywhere- I don't think I've ever seen that many in one place.
The local high school jazz band was there and made a very nice addition to the day. They played a nice mixture of patriotic tunes and songs from the 60s/70s. One young man did an excellent job with his solo in "What a Wonderful World".
There was a short briefing for the riders, then we started out about 10 - the trailer hauling the wall itself was led out by the bike pictured here. I don't know who the bike belonged to but it was amazing to see- it was covered with scenes related to the Viet Nam war. After the trailer rig got on the road, it was followed by several dignitaries.
The local LEOs made sure we all got out in one group, which I'm sure was an undertaking- someone said there were over 300 bikes, but Randy said he felt there were closer to 500. I also heard that the line of bikes was 2 1/2 to 3 miles long and it was a pretty steady line with very few big breaks.
There's no way I can tell you everything I saw, but here are some of the things that stick out in my memory.
We'd been seeing folks stopped on the side of the road, waving at us, all along. But at one curve in the road, a man stood by his bike, standing at full attention- I have no doubt he held that until every last bike went by. I don't know whether he was wearing sand camo or whether it was very worn olive drab, but I do know he held himself like a hero. That's where I first broke down...
The ride took us through several small towns- most every town had people standing beside the road in groups; some were waving flags, some were holding 'thank you' signs to the vets in the crowd. Flags were everywhere- from the very tiny ones stuck in the ground along the road, to the HUGE ones hanging from cranes over the streets we were riding.
Entire schools of children were standing by the roads, wearing patriotic shirts, waving flags, yelling and cheering. Some groups were even standing in the street, holding out their hands, wanting to 'slap' hands with us.
Vehicles pulled over while we drove by- one lady sat with her hand over heart while she smiled.
A whole group of veterans from the nursing home, sitting in their chairs, but sitting up straight, wearing their red, white and blue shirts, waving flags and cheering.
Policemen, state troopers, sheriffs and deputies at every intersection, holding traffic and saluting.
Junior ROTC from the local high school, in their uniforms, standing at attention on every corner of one town.
Drivers and passengers in every vehicles giving us a 'thumbs up' or a peace sign as they watched us drive by.
Whole families standing in groups, holding large signs with their military hero's picture and name on it. Some of those pictures were very old...
Fire department members standing on their rigs, waving flags and saluting.
A very old gentleman, standing in his yard, saluting us while he held onto his walking stick with the other hand.
This went on for ONE HUNDRED MILES. For a hundred miles, people cheered, waved and saluted the Viet Nam veterans who were riding among us, saluting the flag they'd defended, saluted us for being a part of that great ride, but mostly saluting our country and the great place she still is. She's got her faults, she's got her problems, but she's still one of the few places you can still live like you want to. We've still got the freedom to speak out against her when we want to, without worrying about who might hear.
I know how much taking this ride touched me - I'm not a vet and neither is my husband. Our middle son is serving in the Army, and so is one son-in-law. My husband's dad, my grandfather, an uncle, at least one cousin, my brother and several brothers-in-law have served, but Randy and I did not. I cannot imagine what it must be like. I do know what yesterday did to me, and I hope and pray that the vets who were there were able to receive comfort from it.

Home for a Bunny

When my older daughter was a little girl, she had several books that she really loved. One of those books was Home for a Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown. We had it in the Big Golden Book version, and we read it until the spine turned loose and the pages fell out.
I loved reading to her as much as she loved hearing it- after a while we had it memorized: "Down the road and down the road he went. He was going to find a home of his own. A home for a bunny, a home of his own..."
Now my own sweet little girl is a grown-up girl and has a sweet little boy of her very own. He loves books as much as his mommy did.
I've been looking for another copy of that book for several months now, but none of the bookstores carried the Golden Books anymore. I finally decided to go online and of course I immediately found it on the Books-a-Million site, along with another book my daughter had loved: The Golden Egg Book which features another bunny and a pretty egg.
I also found a book called Seven Little Postmen - a sweet little story originally written in the 1950s, about a little boy who sends a special letter to his granny.
I ordered copies of each book, including an extra copy of the Postmen book for my house. They came in today's mail and I can hardly wait until I can take Reid and his Mommy their new books.

Playing catchup

Lots of things have been going on around here, so here's the 'cleanup'.
I went back to the doctor yesterday, fully expecting him to say I didn't have to go back- nope, not yet. He says everything looks good, incision is healing nicely; he said to stop using tape on the dressing since it's causing some irritation. Works for me- now I can shower and wash my hair without waiting for hubby to come home and help me change the dressing...I go back in two weeks - hopefully for the last time (not that I don't like Dr. Daley, but I'm ready to move on -LOL)
A very good friend of ours was involved in a bike wreck on Monday night- he was leaving a meeting and hit a deer. Not nearly as bad as it could have been- God had His hand on his shoulder. A few broken bones, some nasty road rash, scrapes and bruises, but he'll hopefully come home this weekend.
Another friend of ours is in the hospital with double pneumonia, so a friend and I went to visit him. We didn't realize how bad he'd been feeling until we saw him at the hospital this morning. He was joking with us, asking about our husbands and what they were doing. He looks so much better than just a day or two ago.
Our town's homecoming is finally here- we'll start things off on Saturday with an arts and crafts fair, then a singing lesson by Ms. Regina, then a bluegrass jam festival that night. Sunday will start with a community church service at the Primitive Baptist Church, dinner on the grounds and singing in the afternoon.
My folks' 50th anniversary is coming up and we're working towards getting everything done for the celebration. We're hoping lots of folks come and visit that afternoon.
Okay, back to your regularly scheduled blog. Thank you for your time.

Books are Treasures

I had a meeting in our Community Center last night, and while I was waiting for the others to get there, I looked through the things left over from the Relay for Life yard sale on Saturday.
Several large boxes of books caught my attention, and of course, I had to dig through them. There were quite a few books by Francis Parkinson Keyes, "Great Lion of God" by Taylor Caldwell, "Night of January 16th" by Ayn Rand, and "Glittering Images" by Susan Howatch. I enjoy all these authors, so I loaded them in a box and brought them home. (I'll find out how much they were selling for and send a check to the RFL team.)
I love going to yard sales and estate sales- you never know what hidden treasures you're going to find. I think I really racked up last night- I may go back today and see if I can find some more goodies!

Dixie Regional Gathering of the Guard

What a great weekend! Randy and I left out around lunch on Friday, trailering his bike with us. (I wasn't sure I could handle riding mine that far yet.) While I helped with the registration table, Randy went with the group to the state capitol to hear Gov. Riley proclaim Friday as Patriot Guard Day in Alabama. Here's the story in the Montgomery Advertiser.
That night we all broke for supper- some went to the American Legion hut for steaks; Randy and I sneaked away for supper at O'Charleys; we had southwestern twisted chips, which were awesome!
Saturday morning, we rode to the Prattville Walmart to ride in the Relay for Life poker run. The run was done in memory of Officer Darryl Mangrum, who died of cancer last year. Before we started the run, Mayor Byard greeted the riders and thanked us for all we do. He told us we were always welcome in Prattville and called us American heroes - not a dry eye in the place. Imagine big ol' bikers, made of hair, leather and chrome, being called heroes... Wow.
Before we started the ride, the police officers escorted us to Officer Mangrum's grave, where the family laid a wreath in his honor. Then we started the ride, which was great! About a hundred miles long, we saw all kinds of beautiful country. Since I was riding behind Randy I was able to get some good pictures of some of the ride.
We finished up at Pratt Park - lunch was served by Moe's, and it was delicious! A band was performing some very good music and we rocked while we ate.
Saturday night we all met up at one of the local members' home, who graciously opened his house up to us. We had burgers, hot dogs, chips and all the fixings. Great food and GREAT fellowship.
Sunday morning some of the members of the Christian Motorcycle Association hosted a bike blessing; everyone there received a book of Bible promises and a blessing sticker.
All in all, it was a great weekend- we met some new friends, who quickly turned into 'old buddies' - one in particular was Papa Bonehead. He was constantly carrying on some foolishness, which fit right in with Randy and I. I can tell he's going to be great fun to get to know. We also saw some old friends that we don't get to see often.
It was a great way to spend a weekend - riding funeral missions is an awesome privilege, but it's also very stressful, so this was so good for all of us. We were able to relax, cut loose, and just be ourselves without worrying whether someone would misunderstand.
I can't wait to see these folks again; the Georgia folks will host next year's regional gathering and I know they'll do it up right.

Book Review- The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers

One of my favorite authors is Francine Rivers. I discovered her about twelve years ago, when her book, The Scarlet Thread, was a featured book in the book club to which I belonged. I ordered the book, but wasn't able to start on it for a couple weeks. When we took the kids on vacation, I took it along to read while we drove at night and the kids slept.
I decided to start 'just the first chapter' as we left the house, and was never able to put it down after that.
For those not familiar with the story of Rahab in the Old Testament: Rahab was a prostitute who lived in Jericho. When Israelite spies came to Jericho, she hid them in her home, to save them from the authorities. Even though she was not an Israelite, and was a prostitute, she recognized that the God the Israelites served was the true God.
The spies left under her guidance; they told her to hang a scarlet cord from her window and they promised her when the Israelites took Jericho, she and everyone who was in her household would be saved.
Rahab's story is a story of faith and redemption- and Francine Rivers uses those themes to tell the story of Sierra Madrid and her ancestor, Mary Kathryn McMurray. Both women are strong, stubborn women, who feel they know best for their families; but as their lives unfold they realize that they've tried to 'help' God to do the things that need doing.
I like this story because it reminds me that God is in charge, and that I don't need to help him do what needs to be done; I just need to be obedient...
I enjoy reading this story again and again, because it's a story of romance and love, with a lot of adventure thrown in.
It was published in '96, so you may have to look a bit for it, but trust me, it's worth it.
Some other great books by Francine Rivers are The Mark of the Lion (series of three books set in early Christian times), The Atonement Child, Leota's Garden and The Shofar Blew. She also has a series titled Sons of Encouragement, which tells the story of different men in the Bible.
Try any one of these books, and I'm sure you'll love them. Mrs. Rivers is a great author and I know you'll enjoy getting to know her and the people she writes about.

Back in blue jeans again...

Over the past few weeks, I've been gradually recovering from a small bit of surgery - I've lost 15 pounds (I need to lose a good bit more, but that's a start). I've been wearing lounge pants, sweats and track pants, because they're roomy and the waist is elastic - much more comfortable than a zipper.
Well, today's the day- I got my jeans out of the closet, where they've been hanging for the past five weeks or so, and slipped them on. It doesn't matter that I'm wearing the larger size (I'd just bought some a size smaller); right now I'm just happy to be in something different.
Now to keep using good eating habits to take some more weight off. One thing I'm trying to change is how I look at sweets- it's helped that I don't really have such a sweet tooth anymore. I've found a great dried fruit mix that hits the spot and seems to be better for me than candy - at least I feel a bit smarter eating it.
By the way, according to my blogger dashboard, this is my 100th post... woot!