Happy Monday. Greetings from Burlington, Iowa, where I’m struggling to find today’s word-of-the-week… PATIENCE I’ve gotten behind schedule on Rich’s Ride. No excuses—for a lot of reasons I’m about twenty miles behind where I need to be, and almost sixty miles behind where I’d hoped to be, to reach my 1500 mile goal. I know, you’re […]
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Detours
Every Monday while I’m on this crazy ride I’m sharing some reflections about the Mississippi River as a metaphor for a dream. You can see previous articles here. * * * * * Thursday and Friday of last week I scarcely saw the river. I trust that it’s there, that I’ll meet it again at […]
Continue readingUnexpected Blessings
Today I met a good friend for the first time. Jon Swanson writes 300wordsaday.com. It’s the blog I read each morning even if I don’t have time to read anything else. Jon helps me understand what it means to follow Jesus in a practical way. We met via the blog a couple of years ago. […]
Continue readingAll I Can Do Is Pray
“I’m not sure what I can do to help. All I can do it pray.” I’ve heard that dozens of times in conversations about Rich’s Ride. I’ve said it myself—I’ll bet you have as well. The implication is that we’d like to do something real, something that would actually help. But if we can’t think […]
Continue readingIt’s A Matter Of Focus
Today I’d like to share an illustration I use when I talk to groups about Rich’s Ride. * * * * * Leonard was the latest in a series of physical therapists who tried to help me adjust to life with paralysis. We had an unspoken agreement: they worked hard while I complained and made […]
Continue readingThe Real Hero–a repost
This article originally appeared on December 17, 2010. Who’s your hero? I recently heard a surprising, thought-provoking response to that question. A critique group gathered to practice their public speaking skills. They challenged each other to do a two-minute impromptu talk answering the question, “Who is your hero?” The last speaker began with an attention-grabbing […]
Continue readingHome
Hi there. It’s Monte again. In the past few weeks I’ve heard Becky and Rich talk a lot about someplace called “home.” I don’t get it. They talk like home is a place and we’re not there and they seem to miss it a little. And they wonder whether I miss it. When they describe “home” […]
Continue readingClear Eyes. Full Heart.
Did you see the TV show Friday Night Lights? The show traced several characters through the craziness of Texas high school football. The team’s rallying cry was, “Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can’t lose.” I love that expression. I’ve been thinking a lot about it as I ride. Clear Eyes To me, clear eyes is about […]
Continue readingThe Right Rear View
I snapped this photo on a beautiful stretch of road between La Crosse and Prairie du Chien. I intended to show you the wonderful view over the front wheel of my hand cycle. It was an amazing day on an amazing journey. When I looked at the photo, I noticed the tiny mirror—I circled it […]
Continue readingChristmas Lights
A common question whenever I talk about my injury involves my attitude toward Christmas decorations. It’s already come up a few times along the ride, including our visit to Elk River, Mn. “Do you still like Christmas lights? Do they make you sad? Do you put decorations up at Christmas?” The questions come from kids […]
Continue readingSpontaneous generosity…
… always surprises me. Yesterday we stopped at the original movie location for the movie Field Of Dreams. It’s just as cool—and just as silly—as it appears in the movie. There’s a calming element to a pristine baseball diamond dropped in the middle of a corn field. It was easy to imagine shadows of old-time […]
Continue readingPersevere
Happy Monday! We’re beginning week #3 of Rich’s Ride. Becky and I need to work on today’s word-of-the-week… PERSEVERE Many aspects of this project are tougher than we imagined. Hotels, being away from home, so many moving parts that demolish any sort of predictability. At times like this, we must persevere. I think we’re learning […]
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