Tag: bicycle

  • Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door

    Sacred Stories

    Not a particularly religious person, as he prepared to go out for a much-needed bicycle ride, his father-in-law and 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 was on his mind.

    24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

    25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

    Today was his father-in-law’s 79th birthday.

    Today’s ride would be for him!

    It had been two weeks and one day since his father-in-law suffered an abdominal aortic aneurysm, and his condition remained very tenuous…. The pandemic prevented visits.

    So he rode hard.

    And the pent up emotions and painful unknowing gave way as the last song streamed into his earphones: Knock-knock-knockin’ on heaven’s door.

    His father-in-law passed peacefully a few days later. R.I.P.

  • 1:30 pm

    Sacred Stories

    She used her “walking meditation” time to enjoy a bike ride. Summer was gone now, and winter was closer day-by-day.

    Today was beautiful, and she was debating taking a longer ride — soooo welcome after seven long days of sitting meditation. She could use the time set aside for lunch/rest to log another five miles.

    Observing the practice of noble silence throughout the retreat, she had her phone with her but the ringer was shut off. Something nudged her to check her phone, and she saw a text message from the Zoom host. The message had been sent at 12:52 pm.

    “I have some things to attend to this afternoon. Okay to make you the host starting at 1:30?”

    She immediately sent a text message back: “I am out on my bike right now, and it may be a couple of minutes after 1:30 before I get there, but I’m heading back right now.”

    That nudge to check her phone came at the exact point where she could get back.

    She logged on to Zoom as host at 1:30 pm….