Week 111

Positive post Sunday, March 31, 2019- Week 111.

  We have certainly had an abundance of rain and even hail and snow in Southern California over the last several weeks.  Although I’m sure our friends from other colder parts of the country are laughing at us fair weather SoCal natives, there were a few days I thought we might need to build our own Noah’s Ark to survive.  Well, as they say, we have weathered the storm, and are a week into spring where we can now see all the natural beauty in our mountains, at our beaches and throughout our valleys.  All of which we are truly blessed to have right here in SoCal.

So what did I do yesterday to take in this beauty and experience the fruits of all our recent rains?  Those that know me well, know the answer to that question.  I went on a bike ride!  However, rather than going on the traditional Saturday “bagel ride” with the guys (James Reed, Byron Pettibone, Joe Sousa, Joe Martinez, Bryan Zander) over to the bagel shop in Riverside and back, I decided to do the beach ride from Redlands to Balboa Island in Newport Beach.  

I’ve ridden this beach ride many times, but this one was different.  Instead of being my usual competitive self, trying to set PRs (Personal Records on Strava for my non-cycling friends), beat my average speed and record my fastest overall time, I decided to make this more of a touring ride (although I still got there in 4 hours…sorry Michele Lomen Rendler and Kristy Rendler, I couldn’t help myself).  Seriously though, I took the time to really enjoy and experience the ride and take in all the remarkable sites along the route (wildlife, rivers, flowers in full bloom, mountains, ocean), many amplified from the recent rains and all clearly the work of God.  This ride not only reminded me of how much I enjoy riding but also how blessed we are to live in such an amazing collection of diverse yet integrated communities in SoCal.  It also reminded me to thank God each day for my many blessing, including the ability and freedom to ride my bike.  There are many people in this world that don’t have either.  

I witnessed God’s work firsthand on a simple 4 hour bike ride, where do you find the work of God in your everyday life?