Little Things

It has been a busy three days.  Tuesday, we left from New Orleans, LA and headed to Hatfiled, AR. We drove approximately 350 miles and stopped for the night in Bossier City, LA. There was an Outback restaurant right next to the hotel where we were staying, so we unloaded our "stuff" and headed over there for supper.  As usual, it was delicious. I just love their sirloin steaks and baked potato. Rick and Norm tried to drain them of all their tea. It had been a long, hot day driving the back roads.  Driving the back roads is a two-edged sword-it is nice going about 55-60 and very little traffic, but, at the same time, when you are driving at that speed, it takes longer to get somewhere.  All were tired and by 9 all were in bed asleep.

Wednesday, we didn't get out of bed until 8 am. That's the nice thing about not being in a hurry. You are not in a hurry so you can sleep in or get up early, whichever strikes you for that day. All were refreshed and ready to hit the road.
We arrived in Hatfield around 3 pm, in time to have a delicious cheeseburger at old Vicki's restaurant-now named Lott's. They did not let us down, with their hospitality or their food. The hamburgers were juicy and the onion rings tasty. Sad part was we didn't have any room for their delicious pies and I mean DELICIOUS!!

This morming we attended the service at 9 am. Today was the day the RFTS partners shared stories from how our CMA folks are touching lives literally around the world. It was amazing! Some we can share, and some we can't. You will understand when I see you.

After the service, we headed into Mean for lunch at a Mexican restaurant and a pleasant 80 mile ride through the mountains on the Talimenia Scenic Highway.

On the ride today I began reflecting back on the last couple of days. I thought about how when we went into a Walmart in Bossier City we were so excited about me getting an otter box for my phone and Richard getting a wallet that attaches to his belt-one he CANNOT lose. As we left Pat and I hugged as I said to her.. my, how the little things make us so happy.

As Christians, most of the time we pray and think and thank God for the BIG things in our lives-our health, our jobs, health issues, and on and on. But, today I want you to stop and think about some little ways God has worked in your life in the past few days and thank Him that He cares for every part of our lives.

As bikers, I don't really believe God cares about our bikes. However, He does care for us and whatever concerns us, concerns Him.  Therefore, I want to share some little things with you that I have been thankful for the past 3 days.  Most of you out there reading this won't understand or appreciate some of this because you don't ride bikes.

1--My iphone face has been cracked for 15 months now. Monday, a piece of the glass fell out. Now I felt it was dangerous and could me when I touched it. It was time to do something. At home they charged $ 125 to fix the face. While in New Orleans, we saw a place that would do it for $ 80 but no time there. So, I mentioned to Norm that before we left on Wednesday I would like to get my phone fixed. He agreed. I called Verizon and they gave me the name of a place to do it. On Wednesday morning we arrived at the store about 940 and wouldn't you know? It didn't open until 10. We decided we had the time to wait so sat down in the shade to wait. The young man arrived about 10:05 apolozizing for being late. We did not mind. How can I help you he asked. I said, How much to repair the face on my phone. He said $ 69. I said go for it. WOW... what a deal. I was saving $  55 from what I would have paid at home. After he asked me did I want a tempered piece of glass to cover the face. It would get cracked  before the face and is a new piece of technology. I said yes anything to help. He did not have any i4 otter boxes defenders, but I knew we were going to Walmart and they do. I thanked him and we took off.  We were thankful he was able to repair it. My contract isn't up until next January

2-- Next stop, Walmart. Richard was able to get a wallet that he can't lose or have snatched! It is attached to his pants buckle. YAY! I was ablt to purchase a defender otter box cover for $ 11 cheaper than Verizon. Thank you Lord for these small things. They made our lives a little easier.

3--We got on the rode headed to Hatfield.. Norm  had chosen highway 71. It was not a busy highway and the speed limit was 55. What a nice, easy going ride we had- only hot!  Along come some clouds.. Thanks you Lord for clouds that make it cool. At one point we stopped to put on our rain suits, only to ride out of the rain within a couple of miles. Overcast skies were such a Godsend on this hot day.

4--Even the rain sprinkles were a Godsend, sending us a cool touch on a very hot day. Not enough to get the roads wet, just to give us some fresh air.

5--Today, on our ride, I must say I am thankful for Richard and Norm as our husbands and some small things they do:
      a - he knows how I feel about heights and curves, so he slows down the bike so I don't feel like I am falling off. That is a HUGE blessing.
      b-he reminds me to put on the sunscreen I need to protect my face and arms. Sometimes I wear protective sleeves to help keep out the sun.
      c-he is willing to stop so we can't take goofy pictures to have as reminders of our fun time with our friends on this trip.
      d--They help us get our  rain pants on and off when we stop which makes it go so much faster.

6--I am so thankful there was no road kill on the roads we traveled today. God protected us from having any kind of misshap with those in the middle of the roads. Motorcycles don't do well with them.

7--Another thing bikers appreciate is no sand or loose rocks when we go around curves in the mountains. We went around a bunch of 180 degree curves, 45 degree curves, couple of 90 degreee curves. Curves can be so dangerous. They can cause you to lose control of your bike and off you go-in a direction you had not planned.

8--Just cooler temperatures have been a Godsend. Riding at the high altitudes brought about breaths of fresh air and cooler temperatures. God does care about us.  We were really enjoying His creation-the beautiful mountains, full of lush green trees. WOW! How can we deny who He is-looking at that?

By now you get the point. The small things do matter-to you and the Lord. Go to Him now and thank Him for the last close parking space you got. Thank Him for the sale item at Walmart. Thank Him for the lower light bill... think and ponder these things. Then give Him praise.

I give Him praise for the great ride and the great three days!!

Love,
Richard, Pat, Norm, Yo

We will be here in Hatfield until Sunday.  More to come!!!!!!



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