You find out who your friends are ...

Funny how life works.  Shortly before my dad passed away, I found this quote.   It summed up perfectly the pain I was feeling for a friend who had lost her baby boy.

“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.”

I'll never understand why people react the way they do when tragedy occurs.  You certainly find out who your true friends are.   Acting "normal" like nothing is wrong certainly doesn't help the person experiencing tragedy -- unless they are sitting at work trying to hold it together!  Then by all means, acting normal rocks.   There's nothing worse than feeling terribly heartbroken and sad while watching the world zip by like nothing has changed.   So many people say, Oh, I've been thinking of you.  The thing is, if you don't let that person know you've been thinking about them, it certainly doesn't do them much good.   Taking two seconds out of your day to text or email or pick up a phone can make all the difference in the world.

I guess I'm lucky that I've got some amazing friends who have taken the time the last three weeks to sit with me in the darkness while I struggle to find grace and light in all the sorrow and pain.  I hate to think how much worse I'd be doing without them. 

Life and Lemons -- WE NEED VODKA!

After a particularly ridiculous few weeks, Dani and I decided to venture out onto the High Trestle Trail for a 25-mile bike ride!   Brilliant plan.   Sadly by the time we got our pedals fixed and tires inflated, it was pretty late.   No problem.  We decided to run to Target and grab some lights for our bikes and then ride the trail from Ankeny 10 miles and then back to her house.

Well, Target didn't have any lights like we wanted.  And we forgot our water bottles, so bought a new one.    Except we couldn't get the bottle attached to her bike and the light didn't come with batteries.   We substituted glow sticks.

We drove around for a while until we could find the trail, got our bikes out, and ventured into the dark.   It was REALLY dark.

We made it .75 miles and then I saw some lights coming down the trail.  After screaming, "OMG!   Professional bikers are coming; let's get out of here before they see us," we zipped back to the car giggling.

At least we had fun.   We'll try again in the morning .... or maybe in two weeks.

Beer and Naked and Afraid on Discovery channel in our biking gear is just as adventurous; right?