Day 1
Wow what a day it has been, it has definitely been a day
that will not leave my memory too soon; well atleast not until tomorrow when I
do it again. First of all I have to start by saying, I DID IT!!!!! I rode my first centurion on my bicycle. To tell the truth I did not think I had it in me, but low and behold I did. As Johnathon told me last night as he grasped my face with both of his hands, " You got this mom, you can do it," I can't tell you how many times I have told him those same words, but it sounds so sweet hearing it from him and seeing his belief in me through his eyes.
I have been told the Stihl
Tour des Trees is not all about the bike ride, but it really embodies a
fellowship amongst fellow tree lovers. I
must say I have never experienced such an open arm welcome from everyone I met,
this is a tree family that has many branches but we are all connected by one
central stem, the love of trees. I rode
with a variety of people today of all different levels and from all parts of
the country. I must say even if you were
not up to their level they would not leave you behind, that is until you found
another group to become a part of, no
one really rides alone.
I must say a big huge thank you to all the support along the
way, especially my children and husband.
They were there at every rest stop and at the lunch to share their
support and to keep telling me I can do it.
Towards the end they were on the side of road continuously cheering not
only me on, but all the riders that passed them. It made a big difference not only to me, but
also to my fellow riders. Seeing them at the finish line was incredible, and having them help me with my bike and suitcase was wonderful.
I also want to say thank you to all the moral support, from
the rest area attendees and fellow riders.
Everyone cheers on everyone, no matter what your skill level is or where
you are in the pack. It was wonderful
seeing fellow arborist along the way from the NYS ISA chapter, but it was also
great meeting new friends.
I also need to say thank you to the support vehicles. They would drive by you, cheering you on and
making sure you were okay. God forbid I
should have a breakdown, be it emotional or technical, but knowing they will be
along certainly does help.
The main thought or message I would like to leave for me to
remember this day is this: In life we
have a lot of support that sometimes we take for granted. Let’s face it our lives are busy and
sometimes we forget to breathe and take a look around us. Today I learned and thought about all the
support in my life, not only here on the tour but also in my daily life. I am complimented on the outstanding behavior
and citizenship of my boys very frequently but they are not that way by chance; it really
takes a village to raise great boys or in my case a great support group. So thank you to everyone who has helped me
and them along the way, I don’t think I could list everyone, but know this, I
know who you are and so do my boys. We
thank you from the bottom of our hearts and wish you the best always and please know
there are two outstanding boys in this world that will leave this planet a
better place than when they entered.
Together we have changed the world one boy and one tree at a time.
Thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment