a cycling we did go

i took the kids on a bike ride yesterday. or should i say, the kids and i accompanied cody and a friend on a bike ride yesterday.

i got a phone call to ask if cody, who was at a sleepover, and a friend could bike out to lions lake to go fishing. by themselves? i asked. yes, by themselves. my heart sank. my brain was spinning, searching for what to say, similar to a rolodex out of control. i was trying not to be overprotective, but make a levelheaded decision. after asking a series of questions... does cody have his phone? is it charged? are they on a time schedule? etc. i reluctantly said o.k. i did however tell cody to call dad to see what he thought. when i hung up the phone, i said a quick, "i don't know what to do Lord, i think i blew it," prayer. i heard him say, "go with them!" ah, yes, that's the answer to my nervous heart. i quickly dialed back to say, hey how about we go with you? after an hour of scurrying about the house, filling camelbacks, making pb&j sandwiches and loading the bikes we were off. 

it was a wonderful ride. the temperature was perfect, not too hot. the view was outstanding, and candice rode the whole way on her own little bicycle that cody built. the other kids were faster than us, so she and i rode pretty much alone, singing songs from the raffi tape we have listened to for a week solid. at one point i stopped and called cody. since i hadn't come across any of them, i wanted to check in. all four of them had arrived safely at the lake just a few minutes before my call. candi and i were 10 minutes behind, but pressed on. my stomach was a little anxious knowing they would be there without supervision until i arrived. i was pleased to find kyle and taylor sitting at a picnic table waiting for lunch. the boys had gone off to fish, which i could handle. 

we had a lovely picnic by the lake and was amazed at how far down the water had gone since we were there at the beginning of summer. after lunch we headed out to be back in time for soccer practice. my only regret of the day, was not having my camera to take pictures. there were many kodak moments. but, as bob hope sang... thanks for the mommories. and thank you Lord, for the answer to my prayer. please prepare me for the letting go season ahead with my kids.