It’s been seven years now since Chris had the ride of his life to heaven at exactly 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, 6/25/2016. In honor of his memory, I’m posting an excerpt from my book “His Love Carries Me” that contains an excerpt from Chris’ book “Cancer on Two Wheels”:
A year before Chris died, he wrote a blog entry that he asked me to post after he died. I had read it then but hadn’t looked at it since. This particular entry was so important to him that it was first on his list of things for me to do after his death.
Several hours after he had passed, I started to read through the entry before posting it. I made it through the first two sentences. Running into the kitchen, I asked Chad and Shane, “What time did Daddy usually go on his Saturday morning bike rides?” There was a sense of urgency in my voice.
“He usually liked to be out the door by seven o’clock. Why?”
Tearing up, I realized that’s what Chris was waiting for—his 7:00 a.m. ride. And what a ride of his life to heaven it must have been on that cool, beautiful June morning.
A Good Ride
Saturday morning was always my favorite time to go for a bike ride. I’d be up, dressed, and out the door before the first rays of sunshine began to peek over the horizon. There was just something about feeling the cool morning breeze on my face and pushing the pedals as the sun rose. Those mornings contain some of my favorite memories. I can remember where I was the first time I rode over thirty miles. The same for when I broke through the fifty-mile-ride limit. The first forty-five miles of that ride were a lot of fun. There was just something about pushing my body a little bit further than I thought it would go. On those mornings, as I rode home, I knew I’d had a good ride.
In many ways, this quest to beat lung cancer has been much the same. Many times I just had to push my body a little bit further than I thought it could go. The times I thought I couldn’t make it any further, friends and family would lift us up. Sometimes they would come in person. Sometimes it was in their prayers. I’ve lost count of the times that DeLayne, the boys, and I have been blessed by the giving of others. Perhaps, the most surprising thing has been the many times we’ve been blessed by opportunities to give to other people. It’s been a long journey that wouldn’t have been possible without the help of others and the grace of God.
Yes, this journey has been a long one. There were twists and turns, never knowing what lay beyond the next bend in the road, but learning to trust that Jesus would be there waiting on us. It has taken us places we never thought we’d have to go, both physically and spiritually.
My earthly journey has come to an end. I now know what lay beyond the last bend in the road. I’m finally home resting in the loving arms of my Savior, Jesus Christ.
I’ve had a good ride.
My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.
—Psalm 139:15–16