pedaling out

When Carter arrived back in Geraldton, one of the first things that we did was get him a bike. Sadly not a motorbike as he'd like, but what we did find was really good. And just like most of the things we now own, it came from a second hand store. Carter and I couldn't believe our luck when we stumbled across it.

I've always loved riding bikes. When I was younger I used to zip about the block with my sisters and next-door neighbours playing cops and robbers. It was always for leisure and play, never really for 'transport'. So what I did with Carter a few weeks ago, was a first for me in my life. I rode the furthest I've ever ridden. With packed bags we jumped on our bikes and rode all the way from our house out in Strathalbyn to the beachfront along Chapman Road (about 5km).

It was so much fun! We plan to do it more often. It's really good exercise and I found that I saw a lot of things I otherwise would have missed if I was in car. The weather was gorgeous, not a cloud in the sky, it felt like summer.

During the hour and a bit we spent down at the beach, I discovered something really exciting (for me) that I never knew about Carter before. He enjoys beach-combing! It's one of my favorite things to do when I'm at a beach, and he likes it too! So we ended up spending most of our time wandering all over the shore filling our hands and pockets.

My favorite thing to find on a beach is pretty shells.. but seeing as this was not really one of those beaches, what we ended up with was heaps of sea-smoothed class. I'd never really taken too much notice of them before, but for some reason while walking beside Carter they suddenly became prized beauties.

Now I've found myself sitting here for a while reading the line I just wrote [above] over and over. And as I'm reflecting on it I'm beginning to realise that Carter has this affect in many many areas of my life. The very same can be said for a relationship with Jesus. When we consciously walk through life with Him beside us, things do increase significantly in beauty. It's not that they were less valuable before, it's simply that our eyes were not open to the depth of it. When someone experiences love, now I mean true Godly love, it will change them.

Right now I find myself being loved constantly by a wonderful husband and an incredible God. And It's changing me. Love is redefining how I see myself, my gifts, and my past... all that surrounds me has somehow become more vibrant. It's like being under the Eiffel tower rather than looking at a photo. It's like discovering an amazing story behind the creation of a song you enjoy. It's like finding out how your great grandparents met. Life becomes something of greater significance when we see it's history, and purpose.

.. just something to think about...

Looking back over our time at the beach, I cant help but get the feeling we accidentally started a 'Carter and Sonya thing'. And I'm sure that collecting sea glass is fated to be a life-long romantic gesture between us. What we'll end up doing with the glass... I'm not quite sure. But I do know that special memories will, and are now forever bound up in the simple beauty of glass tossed to and fro by the sea.

xxx