The Bike Ride

As many of you know my hubby is an avid bike rider racking up more miles on his bike in a week than miles on his car. This past week we've had the pleasure of having Bill's parents visit from all the way across the country. Hooray! Bill has long wanted for he and his dad to go on bike ride together as adults, so the two of them set off on a 30 mile ride last Thursday. I can't really write about what that was like for them because I wasn't there. I don't even like to drive 30 miles on most days. LOL. But here is what I do know, a man is never too old to want to spend some quality time with his dad.
This bike ride reminded me that some things cannot be purchased with all the money in the world. Kids of all ages want your time and your personal attention as a parent, not the things you can buy them. Some want bike rides and others want to be read stories, given horsey rides, or pushed on a swing. As teenagers and then adults your wish list of things to do with your parents will change somewhat, but the need to connect with them doesn't. I think of people I love who have passed on and I would give anything for another moment to bake something together, to chat across the dinner table, to hear their voice on the phone, to see the smile in their eyes, to ask for advice, to hug them, touch them, and just be with them. Just another moment.
Many years from now when the bikes are rusted or more likely sold on e-bay and a new hobby or interest has filled it's place, it's the men on the bikes that we will think fondly of and reminisce about the moments we've shared together, not the bikes themselves. I once heard a quote by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (No, I'm not a treky.) "Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived."