Vanity, Vanity, ALL is Vanity

Motorcycle Story from our 2011 vacation of 4,092 miles to Upper MI and back to Florida.

I LOVE to ride our Motorcycle. Ken can suggest a ride almost anytime, anywhere and I will gladly agree to go on the motorcycle versus the car. I love everything about the motorcycle: the fresh air, the togetherness with my hubby, the time it gives me to think, reflect, pray, sing or just SIT. Ken puts on wonderful Christian music and it is like one big praise concert as we ride along.

Did I say I love “everything” about our cycle? That is not exactly honest. Like ministry, marriage, family or life in general, there are things that remind me that I am “short of the glory of God.”

I have always had an issue with my hair, when I take off my helmet! We can have a great ride, but when we stop somewhere, I dread taking the helmet off. I am self- conscious of my new wild hairdo. I have tried using different kinds of soft curlers (makes for a very SORE head), and hair nets but nothing seems to help.

SO why do I fret about such matters? Ken thinks I am beautiful and isn’t his opinion the only opinion on earth that should matter to me? Why should I allow something so frivolous to keep me from enjoying our ride?

“Lord, forgive me for my pride. I know YOU love me no matter what my hair looks like, what color it is, what length it is, or what style it is! Help me to be content with myself, knowing YOU love me, and that truly is more than enough!”

HANG ON!

Motorcycle Story written after our vacation trip of 4,092 miles

I have never ridden anything more comfortable than a Goldwing! I am just as comfortable on this Blue 92 Goldwing, as I was on our Red 98 Goldwing we had a few years ago. Most of the time, I hang on to nothing when we ride. I can lean back on the speakers, cross my arms, rub Ken’s shoulders, hold a bottle of water, etc and I am fine. I do have a lovely set of grip bars at my side.

There are moments when I am glad to have the grip bars near me. If a curve is extra sharp or long, I grip the bar. When a semi-truck whizzes by us, I grip the bar. Sometimes when we are passing a vehicle and I feel extra speed, I grip the bar. When we go over a railroad track, I grip the bar and lean towards Ken to avoid a jar to my back. When it is raining, I grip the bar. In situations where I need just alittle bit more security, I grip the bar.

NOW ....HERE IS A REVELATION:

The grip bar is attached to the bike!

So in reality, it is not a lot of protection! If the bike goes down, hanging on to the grip bar will not keep me upright on the bike. It just makes me FEEL more safe!

My faith is in Ken who does not have a grip bar, but has all the controls needed to ride the roads as safely as possible. My comfort is knowing that we are together. Should the bike go down, we go down together. He is not somewhere alone, and neither am I. We ride together, to be together!

And should we fall, our faith is in Someone with ultimate control of our lives – JESUS. We have given Jesus ownership of our lives. We have even dedicated our bike to Him. We are HIS. So …Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go.

Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go;
Anywhere He leads me in this world below;
Anywhere without Him dearest joys would fade;
Anywhere with Jesus I am NOT afraid.

Anywhere! Anywhere! Fear I cannot know;
Anywhere with Jesus, I can safely go.

Anywhere with Jesus I am not alone,
Other friends may fail me, He is still my own’
Though His hand may lead me over dreary ways,
Anywhere with Jesus is a house of Praise.

Anywhere with Jesus over land and sea,
Telling souls in darkness of salvation free;
Ready as He summons me to go or stay,
Anywhere with Jesus when He points the way.

{The Hymnal for Worship & Celebration, page 467}

“Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

Earrings in the Wind!

Motorcycle Story from our recent 4,092 mile Vacation Trip from FL to Upper Michigan and back.

For many years now I have chosen to wear the weather guard that zips in and out of the helmet. (Honestly, it looks pretty dumb in FL!) It is designed to shield the rain from going down my neck, and keeps any COLD air away. I personally wear it to protect my hearing. I don’t feel comfortable with the wind blowing into my ears at highway speeds.

HOWEVER on the way back this year it was VERY HOT! We also had pavement heat. Our bodies began to feel the effects of the heat, so I decided I would take off my helmet shield so that more air could circulate. So, on the next stop, I removed the shield and we continued on.

I felt alittle vulnerable as my helmet did not seem to fit as tightly now. I wondered if my chin would hold the helmet on, if we should go down. THEN, I had a terrible thought! I became VERY AWARE of my earrings now swinging freely in the wind! These are not just ANY earrings...they are from my mother! My dad had given them to my mom, and she had worn them everyday….UNTIL her new husband gave her some earrings. She then gave them to me. I have worn them every day since! They are even now MORE precious to me since my mom has passed away. There will be no more gifts from my mom!

NOW those precious earrings are wildly blowing back and forth in the wind as we travel down the road! It was hard for me to concentrate on anything else but my earrings! HOW AWFUL I would feel if I lost them just because I had wanted to be alittle bit more comfortable in this heat! What was I thinking! When we stopped, I was greatly relieved to feel both earrings in place. I thanked God for protecting my earrings and zipped the shield back on.

My protection for my earrings, my hearing and my overall security with the helmet was back in place!

Little ole me, Bonnie, is precious to GOD. He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for me. He sent His Holy Spirit to live in me. He keeps me safe in the hollow of His hand. HE is my Helmet. HIS Word guards my thoughts and reminds me of my value because I am the daughter of the King of Kings!

CHORUS: Safe am I, Safe am I, In the hollow of His hand; Sheltered o'er, sheltered o'er; With His love forever more; No ill can harm me, No foe alarm me, For He keeps both day and night, Safe am I, Safe am I, In the hollow of His hand.

It Didn't Change a Thing!

Motorcycle Story from our Vacation of 4,092 miles to Upper Peninsula of MI and back to FL.

What most people remember about our trip last year is how I could not see anything straight ahead because of Ken’s helmet head, SO THIS YEAR, I decided I would re-position myself to be able to see straight ahead.

I shifted my upper body to the right, resting my elbow on the speaker and was able to see what was ahead! I could still see what was behind in the rear view mirror. So I could see behind and ahead! BUT I also became very aware that no matter how much more I could see, I was still a passenger. I could SEE, BUT I was not in control.

I realized quickly that I was perfectly content with that position. I liked being able to see what was behind and what is ahead, but was SO GLAD I did not have the full responsibility to keep the bike up and getting us to our destination! I was perfectly content on the back of the bike with Ken as my driver!

Some women really struggle with staying under the authority or leadership of their husbands. Many people in general want to run their own lives and only use God when they need Him. Our trip went well, because I sat, contently, in my place. I was able to enjoy all the benefits of the trip without any of the responsibilities of driving or even filling it up with gas. Ken took that responsibility for me. AND Ken was blessed to have me along!

A Shelter in the Time of Storm

[A MOTORCYCLE STORY - from our Recent Vacation of 4,092 miles]

On Monday, July 18, we left the Hudson family reunion in Port Huron, MI and headed NORTH to be with our sons and grandchildren in the Upper Peninsula. Just south of Bay City, on M15

Ken knew a storm was brewing in the near distance. He was watching the clouds and sensing the wind as it became cooler and stronger. THEN he noticed the corn stalks bending deeper as the wind increased and he knew we needed shelter – it looked like a strong storm front was coming thru. There were no gas stations or stores in sight.

Ken pulled into a driveway leading to a barn. His plan was to get the bike to the side of the barn that would get the least wind and rain. But he quickly saw that it was impossible to get to the other side of the barn. He told me to quickly get the rain gear on. Ken turned the knob to the little barn door, and found it UNLOCKED. He quickly told me to come in. We finished getting our rain gear on inside this machinery barn and listened to the strong wind and the pouring rain.

Ken knew we needed to move our bike….as he watched our bike get less and less steady on the dirt driveway. SO, we headed out into the rain to move the bike to the grass instead of the water soaked dirt. Then back into the barn, where we waited another 30 minutes for the rain and wind to wane down.

When Ken thought it was safe, we carefully got back on our bike, and road by the farm house….but NO ONE WAS HOME, so we were unable to thank them for the use of their barn. I prayed that God would bless them, whoever they were, for the needed shelter their barn provided for us.

BUT I thank God most of all for a wise husband who was looking out for us, and protecting us from harm.

So much like our Heavenly Father who is a Shelter in the time of Storm.

The Little Bird

While taking a casual stroll in our yard, I saw a little bird on the ground...and as I walked towards it....it did not fly away. Then I heard the loud chirping of parent birds as they were squalking something to the little bird, to each other or to me.......I didn't know WHAT they were saying, but the tone of their voice let me know the subject was the little bird on the ground.

I called to my husband. He gently walked towards the bird, but the bird kept backing away until it was at the brink of the Lake! The bird realized that it could not compete with the water, so started hopping back in my husband's direction. Gently my husband reached down for him and he quietly nestled into his cupped hands.

It was not clear if the bird had fallen out of the nest (actually looked too big for that), failed his flying test, or if he had actually been picked on by the others whose intent was to evict him. He looked rather picked over. Although the cause of his being on the ground was not clear, it was clear that his parents would no longer be in charge of his care, no matter how they may be squalking above us.

A Friend of ours, very compassionate with nature, came over and began feeding the little bird "smart water" thru a straw. The bird received the nurishment with NO problem. His beak opened wide, and often, to receive the love gift my friend offered to his little helpless self.

Our little friend now resides at our friend's home, where he will be well cared for until he can once again enjoy his FREEDOM, as God intended for him to have.

No matter what it was that prevented this bird from his safe place and compromised his future of living a healthy life.....GOD INTERVENED on his behalf....and love was applied so this bird can live to fulfill his God designed purpose.

I pray that my eyes will be as watchful and eager to help needy people, as I was to see the need in this little bird. I would not have known to offer the bird "smart water" and very likely he would have died under my care. But GOD doesnt ask us to do anything HE has not qualified us for. God provided by bringing a caring friend to my house.

I trust that none of us will walk by a hurting bird, or a hurting person....without doing for them, as God has equipped us. For some it will be a smile, a loving touch...providing them a safe home for a while, or leading them into Freedom.....but please just don't walk by.

NEW SHOES

Out of desperation, my husband and I set out to find shoes to replace the worn out black flats. We found NOTHING in town. No one keeps "wide" in stock. They all said they would have to order them. Well I can order them, but I wanted to find a pair that I could try on to be relatively sure they would indeed fit. So we went to the next town and searched their mall.

I am not much for shopping...and after looking and finding nothing in WIDE, I was getting discouraged. THEN we went into the next store! and there were several pairs to choose from that were WIDE! I tried to do the happy dance, but I know that even though the shoes SEEM to fit in the store, they do not always fit when you put some miles on them. I tried on several as Ken went around the store bringing me pair after pair to try on. We finally decided to buy two pair...that way, one of them hopefully will be indeed comfortable under actual long wear.

So we were smiling on the way out of the store, packages in hand....mission accomplished!

NOW for the test of actual wear.

I must say, both have been very disappointing. Both hurt my feet alot at this time. They LOOK nice, but oh my feet are hurting.Every chance I get, I slip them off. I am hoping that in time, the shoes will conform to my feet. I do not want my feet to conform to the shoe or I will have serious problems with my feet. So the battle is on....who will win?

I have dedicated these shoes to God and to His service. He knows I needed them, and HE knows how I sought for them. He knows I tried them on and they seemed to fit. He knows we did our best....so I am leaving the rest up to HIM.

As my whole self continues daily to conform to HIM, and not this world. So I pray my feet will break in the shoe and not the shoe to break down my foot.My feet belong to my LORD, my shoes belong to the Lord....and I long to serve HIM with all that I am. My feet will lead me to many places where HE and I will share the gospel. So even though it may hurt for a while....I will continue to move my feet, one shoe in front of the other, as long as HE gives me breath.