She might have had her eyes closed tight at first. Her fists clenched the cold metal bars to keep her from falling off in the curves. This was not her preferred mode of transportation, but it was the only way to accomplish what they (my Mom and Dad) had agreed as a team to do.
When I saw how enthusiastic our granddaughters Sophia and Natalie were about introducing their little brother Morgan to bike riding in a wide open parking lot, these memories bubbled up from long ago about another of our family’s biking experiences.
My Mom, Lovie, was riding on the handlebars as my Dad, Creston, pedaled his bike through their paper route. It must have been late 1940-something.
He had delivered a bombshell one day that he would really like to go back to school and become a dentist. (Another story for another day’s jotting!) So he did, and this paper route was one of the jobs that paid the bills for dental school.
It’s hard for me to imagine that Mom who had never ridden a bike would perch on the handlebars, and then let go with one hand long enough to toss the paper to its destination. But where there’s a will, there’s a way!
When Dad got so sick he had to drop out of classes for a while and couldn’t do the deliveries or make the collections, Mom walked the route alone. She became comfortable being in neighborhoods and businesses she had never entered before.
Mom told us that with the bag of papers over her shoulder and a deep trust that God was by her side, she made it through and expanded her perspective as she met a diversity of interesting people along the way.
The only photos still around of my parents bike riding are these from a few years later, during Dad’s final year of dental school. Looks like they added a basket and Mom seems to be thoroughly enjoying her side saddle adventures with her beau!
Through this experience and many others, Mom inspired me to be willing to ride on the handlebars of life. I can almost hear her saying, “Open your eyes, Kiddo. You don’t want to miss what’s coming your way next!”
That “being open to life’s possibilities” attitude is definitely something I’m hoping to be passing on, along with this mini-story, to all our grandchildren. Now they’ll know a bit more about their great-grandparents and maybe about why I’m the way I am, too. Just another snippet to add to our family story collage of memories…another tool for inspiring our empty nesting fledglings to have courage as they explore and soar!
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Who has inspired or challenged you to expand your perspective? I’d love to support you in capturing the story around that and how you’ve grown by having that person in your life. Who knows how it may inspire your children, grandlittles and others, for generations?
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JOYfully jotting,
Katie
Family PhotoStory Organizer
Mini-Stories Writing Coach
Your Legacy of Memories Mentor
Capturing Mini-Moments that Matter…
Energizing & Connecting Families for Generations!