Janet Kerns, our guest blogger for today, connects bike riding and bikers in trouble with her meditation published in The Upper Room for Ash Wednesday:

Yesterday afternoon I took advantage of our unseasonably warm weather to take a long bike ride on the Dismal Swamp Trail, a wonderful bicycle/jogging path here in Chesapeake.  It's my favorite place to get fresh air and soak up some sun while pedaling all my cares and concerns away.  I have some great conversations with God on the trail.  Yesterday, I was finishing my ride when, at the 2.75 mile mark, I came across a couple who were walking their bikes.  Oh, oh -- somebody's got a flat tire! I thought.  As I rode by I called out, "Do you need help?  I have a flat-repair kit in my bag." 

The guy replied, "Thanks, but it's a compound problem."  At those words, I had to stop to get more information.  It turned out he had just purchased a new inner tube -- but the tire itself had dry rotted.  About five miles into their ride, the tire exploded, which meant a long walk back to the parking area.  We chatted a bit and commiserated about tire troubles, then he said, "You know, out of all the people passing us by, you were only the third one to offer help."  Immediately I thought of my meditation about living each day as if the Ash Wednesday cross were visible on our foreheads.  It made me feel good to know there are two others out here who care enough to stop and help others!

 -- Janet Kerns