We have talked a lot in the last week about joy. I truly believe that it takes both rain and sunshine to make a rainbow. That is life.
I joined the group in Yellowstone. I heard a veteran rider say that the first four days last week were the hardest Fuller days they have ever experienced. I would agree … my first day started with 16 miles of gravel, rock and sand on a forest service road. It took me 3 hours, but some hearty souls spent 6 hours on it. Crazy! That day and the following three days we experienced strong headwinds, averaging 20 – 25 mph with gusts up to 29. It was tough. At least I came in fresh. The team, which is an amazing group of people, spent the prior week dealing with rain, snow, cold, hot, hills, etc. It sounds like it has been grueling. However, it is important to remember that it does take both rain and sunshine to make a rainbow. So much is how we choose to approach life.
Thankfully the last two days have been sunshine for me. Yesterday was an amazing build day. Without a Covenant Partner currently in the area it was an undertaking and thankfully United Way was instrumental with helping to organize the details. There were 90 of us, including not only us, but also our great sponsor KT Tape and an assortment of local friends and strangers, who are now friends! I was amazed at how well everyone worked together. Fuller riders are historically hard workers & it was great to see KT Tape employees & others doing the same. What a blessing for the families of the three houses we worked on. We replaced a complete roof, stained two decks, removed 20 rose bushes, tackled a huge yard makeover, repaired a garage door frame, hung a door after the frame had to be widened for the door to fit, put in a gravel driveway, painting & more. The homeowners were all so appreciative & emotional about how blessed they felt. This is the true mission of a Fuller ride & why I keep coming back. We are making a difference in the world, one house, one family at a time. Frankly it makes the hard parts of the experience very worth it.
After the build day Greg Venner, the KT Tape CEO invited us to the office. It made me proud to see the FCBA banner posted in the same way the Olympic team banner is posted. Greg graciously gave us gifts & was so giving with his time. He had worked along side us all day at the work site. More sunshine!
Today we had a great ride, most of it on well maintained bike trails. Six members of the US Speedskating Team joined us for the first 20 miles and KT Tape’s VP of Marketing rode all 76 miles. Such great people.
We rode up Provo Canyon which was beautiful & arrived in Heber to free milkshakes at Granny’s. Yet, more sunshine.
So without valleys we would never have peaks. Without rain we would never have rainbows. It is our choice how we approach life. With God’s help I am choosing to live with JOY!
