A Thankful Bike Walk

This past weekend Bryan and I took the kids on a bike ride around our neighborhood. It was humid and warm outside that morning. As we worked our way into the depths of our neighborhood, the nut on Ellie's training wheel decided to loosen. I tried repeatedly to tighten it with my hand, which would fix it temporarily, but after a few peddles, it would loosen back up. Ellie grew more and more frustrated as her training wheel would slip and she would begin to fall over. Finally we made little Ellie hop off and walk her bike home. Bryan took our oldest kids to go get tools while Ellie and I slowly trekked home.

We were a pretty good ways from home.

It was getting hotter.

Ellie began to melt down.

Then God spoke loud. "Remember, I have allowed this."

I began to speak Truth. "You know Ellie, God has allowed this. Let's give thanks for what's around us; you know the things we might have missed if we were going fast." Ellie, still with tears of frustration, began to look around. I started pointing out the beauty of the summer flowers blooming and the smell of honeysuckles in the air. We stopped to admire a squirrel eating an acorn. Ellie even found a 'ring' (some sort of a lug nut) in the street, a treasure to my 5 year old.

Her attitude began to change and pretty soon we were counting our blessings and giving thanks for all that God had placed around us! Oh but the biggest thank offering we gave was for the wind and clouds that our Heavenly Father sent every time we weren't under the shade trees, when the sun shined warm and bright on our skin! God is truly amazing!!

Finally, Bryan came to our rescue, tools in hand to fix Ellie's little wheel. I prompted Ellie to share all that we had experienced with her Daddy, and boy did she!! She recounted, with pure joy, every little moment that we had been thankful, and all the cool breezes and shade trees her Mighty God had blessed her with!

I am so thankful. Thankful for the fresh breeze on sweaty skin, the honeysuckles that fill the air with sweet aroma, the sound of lawnmowers running and birds happily chirping. I'm thankful for the neighborhood dogs that join us on our bike rides, and for the few scary dogs that remain behind their much needed fences!! I'm thankful for small inconviences like loose training wheels that cause me to stop and enjoy the rustling of the wind in the trees and the smell of that freshly mowed grass.  Most of all, I am thankful for this precious teaching moment God opened my eyes to with my sweet little Ellie. Just so thankful.