I love riding. I have loved riding for many, many years. The feel of the wind against your body, the sensation of flying or floating along is incomparable.

Adding a mission to my riding, with the Patriot Guard Riders and the Missing In America Program meant that it was no longer a hobby and a method of transportation. It had meaning. It is a way for me to express the honor I feel for those who have served this country, with no thought of themselves. Riding escort to the final resting place of those who have served, or standing a flag line to honor those still living is an extension of myself, my own service, still under oath to this country.

I may be considered a radical patriot, but I am a patriot. I love this country and those who serve it.

I am a Christian. I love Jesus more than myself. He is my role model for selfless service. He is my role for how to love my wife.

I love my wife. More than this country, more than my service to others, more than my own life, I love my wife. Giving my wife any reason to be concerned for my safety is not a way of showing her the love she deserves. My wife does not like motorcycles. I have tried to show her that I am safe on my motorcycle, but the actions of others have an impact on my safety –and that is something I cannot control. When other’s actions cause me to be injured, it is a valid concern for my wife – if I am injured to the point of being incapacitated, I cannot provide for or protect her.

I love riding, but I love my wife more. After my non-accident in May, and after what my wife saw this morning on her way to work, I have decided to park the bike. In fact, I’m going to sell it. I’ll have to, to avoid the possibility of being tempted to ride it. And I am tempted to ride it. Every day, it sits in my garage, ready to go – and I am not ready physically to take another maneuver like I did in May; my knee isn’t strong enough yet. One day it will be, and when it is I may look at getting another motorcycle – but not without my wife’s input and blessing.

I will miss riding. But I never want to cause my wife grief because of it.

Chat ya later…

Thanks for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, and Wear Red on Fridays!

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