Dedicated To...

After dinner last night, I got word from my friend Jenna that her dad, Gordon, had been in a car collision and it was quite serious. Have you ever had one of those moments when you feel absolutely helpless, yet your mind is running through many scenarios of what you can do to aid in some way? Mine did that for most of the evening after.

I had the honour of chatting with Gordon quite a bit last year. I had been struggling with what my next career move would be and Jenna mentioned her dad might be able to help. The next thing I knew I received an email from him introducing himself! Their family seems to be good for that.

I was so thankful to him for offering to help me, a total stranger, out as I just wasn't sure what direction to take. There were several emails back and forth and he offered many ideas as well as contacts. It was great. I was really looking foward to seeing him at IMC so I could give him a big hug to thank him for his kindness. I still plan on giving him a big hug - it's just been postponed a bit.

I knew that there wasn't much physically I could do to change things, but there was one thing I could do mentally. I could round up all the love and positive energy that I have in my body and send it to Jenna, her dad, her mom and the rest of the family.

Julie, Keith and Linda were with me when I got the news. When we got home Julie called her mom and asked her to start praying. There was going to be a power ball of love and positive energy flowing. That I could guarantee.

This morning as Julie and I headed out to ride the Lochend Loop we decided we would dedicate the ride to Gordon. We would start to collect positive energy from all the laughter and joy we had while we were out riding, and then when we were done we'd gather it up in a big ball and send it out with love.

I'm happy to report that we gathered quite a bit out there. Even though the weather felt more like it was autumn rather than August, it was a beautiful day - we even managed to escape the wind for the most part! I was happy I could share my favourite route with Julie and that she loved it as much as I do.

We saw a couple of hawks enjoying breakfast and many cows looking cute as ever just chillin out in the grass. At one point a blue heron flew overhead. It was so quiet where we were we could actually hear the swoosh of its wings! It was an incredibly beautiful and majestic sight to see and hear.

We were mistaken for cyclists in the Tour de Bowness race even! Too bad we didn't have numbers we could pin on. We didn't realize what was going on at first. We were just about to descend down the hill to the Dartique Lodge when we saw this 'thing' come riding up the hill. Julie and I both had these 'what the frig??' looks on our faces.

When our eyes finally focussed we saw it was a gal dressed up with an Elvis wig and a bright red cap riding a bike. Alrighty then! She was yelling something like 'I'm King of the Hill!'. It was hilarious. We were laughing as we passed her and zoomed down the hill.

When we got to the lodge we asked what was up and learned about the race. We were glad we were ahead of everyone!

We had a lot of laughs over Julie's 'gas' issue as well. Apparantly, although she loved the Indian food we ate last night, her gastrointestinal system wasn't sure. At one point we had stopped as I'd recieved a text from Jenna. Julie had to, uh, let one go, so moved behind me. Problem was the wind was blowing towards me so I got a full whiff of things. It did not smell like roses!! We had a great laugh over that - more positive energy generated!

Although I loved the ride, my legs were pretty tired from yesterday. The last little bit was pretty slow going - I didn't mind it though. The entire ride I had Jenna and Gordon on my mind. I had taken Jenna out on this course so she could get some hill practice in. It was fun sharing with Julie all the stories from that day. It also kept them close to our hearts.

In honour of Gordon we wanted to ride back up Cochrane Hill. This is what I made Jenna do after her long hilly ride. As we started towards Cochrane though we saw three forks of lightening and started to feel a bit of rain. In the name of safety we decided it best just to head home. We managed to escape a full rain storm though.

We had a great time out there today. Lots of laughs and joy and gratitude for being outside in such a beautiful place. I've now bundled all that positive energy up and sent it to Gordon. I know all the good thoughts everyone is sending is working as I heard from Jenna this evening and things are looking positive, although there is still much healing and recovery required.

Keep up the positive thinking!

Peace out and much love my friends.