I Ride For: Shavon
Shavon,
My name is Jeff and I rode 60 miles for you this week in Michigan. While it’s not hot here yet, the weather is pretty nice. I like riding when it is really hot, but 60 degrees, sunny, with little wind works just fine.
As I rode for you, I pondered the path this flag took. I found out I had cancer in January of 2023 and started posting to my blog about my journey. My parents told people at their church and a number of them messaged me. One person named Jane sent me a few notes over the months and commented on the flags that I do. She recommended I do one for Mary, which I did. Shortly after Mary got the flag, she met you at a treatment session and sent me your name. I sent a message and got a response from your daughter. And that is how this flag came to be. Even though there are almost 35 million of us fighting cancer world wide, the path of people caring is short and amazing.
I normally ride 100+ miles on each flag and then send it out. I do it to give myself purpose, to make sure others know they can care in their own way, and hopefully provide a little boost for whoever I rode for. I cut this one short because your daughter let me know that you are now in the care of Hospice.
What to say/write to someone in Hospice? I have no idea. I have never done this before. So I’ll just plow ahead and hope that it is accepted with grace.
As I rode for you this morning, the thought that kept coming up was “Planting Trees”. We have a saying in our family (plagiarized from someone else); “We live in the shade of trees planted long ago by people we do not know.” Or “We are planting trees we will never sit in the shade of, but others will and we will never know.” I do not know what kind of trees you have planted in your life. The fact that your daughter messaged me for you tells me there are some pretty good and strong ones out there. Though we have never met, I want you to know that the path of this flag and the little I know about you has started another tree. It’s small right now, but I will nurture it for you and make sure it is another one that grows strong. It is the tree of the winding path to caring. No one had to do a lot, but now we are all connected. I will not forget who started this tree even though many others will never know.
A couple years ago I saw this quote at an Appalachian Trail center; “The devil whispered in my ear ‘You are not strong enough to withstand the storm.’ I whispered in the devils ear, ‘I AM THE STORM!” I have no doubt, Shavon, that you are the storm. I will do my best when the devil whispers in my ear, to be the storm like you.
SHINE!
The Road Rider