Sunny skies and the soldier

Abe and Rowe had it in their minds that early Sunday morning to ride from San Marcos to Santa Monica.  A road trip of a mere 120 miles.  The weatherman reported sunny skies at their destination.  They longed to spend the afternoon riding alongside the coast, soaking in the sun's rays, relishing the ocean breezes.  As they looked up at the gloomy, gray sky though, the ride ahead didn't seem as tranquil as they had hoped...

Blurry...helmet visor fogging up...Rowe strained her head upwards, hoping to catch a glimpse of the wet road as she rode.  Abe's facemask was soaked, and rain droplets fell from the edges of his helmet.  At 60 mph, the raindrops felt like miniature needles, piercing their skin from all angles.  Soggy socks, swishy boots, soaked jeans.  One minute, the precipitation was a mild irritation, but once the downpour arrived, increasing anxiety ensued.  "Now I really can't see," Rowe thought as she blindly rode, "this is just plain dangerous.  I'm scared!"  Cars zoomed past the duo as they rode, splashing them with water.  Rowe prayed for Abe to read her mind and get off the freeway.  As if on cue, Abe's right blinker went off, signaling that they were exiting...

What kept Abe and Rowe going on that rainy ride to Santa Monica, was the promise of sunny skies.  After several stops along the way, they eventually reached their destination.  While hardly an accurate comparison, rain riding is a little like serving in the military.  Abe and Rowe remember the challenges of being soldiers.  Today, their son is a soldier himself.  Our service men and women weather the storms of injustice to fight for those that can't.  But unlike rain riding, they don't have the luxury of "pulling off the road" when they are scared.  They persevere, even when they can't see through their "foggy helmets".  With their boots soaked and socks squishy, they push through the storm.  Some never arrive at the "sunny destination".  But they "ride through the rain" so we may.  On this Memorial Day, aHbe Racer humbly thanks our military for their bravery while the wheels are spinning...