Keep On Pedaling

This week as I was riding my bike along the Little Maimi Scenic Trail and I stopped to look at a large map of the spur that I had just ridden to see if it will be expanded any further. Because, at this point, the path just ends. Not that I am complaining because it was a good time to turn around and head back to the car anyway. 🙂

As I was retracing my route on the map board, I happened to see an older couple on bikes close by and realized they were Amish. The man was wearing overalls, a straw hat, and the woman was attired in a blue dress, black stockings, and a white hat. She had a three-wheeled bike with heavy plastic saddle buckets on the back which I thought was a great idea if you were going on a long day trip or want to carry some water and a lunch. It was filled with items and I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to strick up a conversation with them. I found out they were intending on going into Cincinnati and were just reading the map to see which direction was needed to be taken in order to get there.

“Oh, where did you start your trip?” I inquired.

“Do you know where Wooster, Ohio is?” asked the gentleman. “That’s where we began yesterday.”

“Sure.” I answered, “That is quite a distance from here. Will you be headed back home after you visit Cincinnati?”

The man laughed and said, “No, we are on our way to Sarasota, Florida!”

With that, he and his wife pedaled away southward on their bikes and waved to me as I stood there gawking at them. I wanted to ride after them; I wanted to take their picture; I wanted to ask them a couple of dozen questions. My 15-mile bike ride seemed so meager compared to the journey they were facing. I had quite a lot to think about on my way back to my car.

This week I wanted to encourage you because you may feel that you are on a long journey with a bicycle, or maybe even a scooter or skateboard, and feel that the school year is as far away as Sarasota. I promise you, you are going to make it, and it’s going to be a great journey.

Will you have obstacles, will you be tired and think you can’t go on some days? Yes, but it will be worth all you will go through because your children will be learning academic and life lessons from you. I believe you are best suited and called for this. You are lovingly guiding them and teaching them valuable and precious things that only you as their mom can do. You have an awesome opportunity and yes, responsibility with homeschooling. I know you can do it. Because if I did it, you can too. lol The joy that I have, when I see my sons becoming such great young men, makes me glad I chose to invest my time and talents into their lives. It made the journey and all of the bumps that came with it so worth it. Keep on pedaling!

While I did not get a picture of the Amish couple, I did get a great picture of the scenery.