Greta's Pluck

Methinks I was struck by the blahs of winter. More aptly put, I was busy and life was full to overflowing.

Sickness due to allergies and the latest bugs going around hit our family hard this winter and it's still not letting go. My oldest missed a campout. It might have been a good thing however since the campers who went mostly got rained on.

I think the thing that has struck me the most recently was the sunburns on the faces of my children. I know why those had those dry cheeks. They worked hard for a bike-a-thon to raise money for their school. Michael, my oldest, rode more than 30 miles. My 7 year old son rode about 12 miles and my just turned six daughter rode 11 miles. Since Matthew and Greta are less than 2 years apart, I'm not too surprised that they rode similar distances. Greta's pluck is what surprises me.

Greta represented her kindergarten class well. In fact, the school principal said she wished the kids in the older grades had even half of Greta's determination. Evidently her bike toppled over a few times. Greta didn't give up. She got back on and went for it. She may be petite, but she has pluck!

So my little powerhouse kept on going. She has a leaning toward athletics that her brothers do not, so I'm proud of her for going on and cycling for eleven miles. It took her all day and other kids, obviously older, did more than three times that many miles.

I've heard the phrase "equal sacrifice, not equal giving." It seems to be the latest catch phrase amongst organizations trying to encourage their ranks to give at an equal sacrifice, not necessarily an equal amount. In Greta's case, she outgave them all! She is an inspiration to me. Sometimes I feel like my 11 miles just doesn't add up to others that can go 35 or even 40 miles. But if I gave it everything I had and didn't give up no matter what then my 11 miles is priceless in God's book. Thanks for the lesson Greta.

By the way, did I mention that she did those eleven miles...on a bike with training wheels?


musings and cogitations