Keeping the Faith

So I've been biking for over a month now and I've had some great highs and not so great lows - both on and off the bike.  Returning home after Thanksgiving Day weekend spent with family and friends in Georgian Bay brought some of these lows.  One of which I found out that someone I used to golf with had succumbed to cancer.  Margaret was 53 (she died the day after her birthday) and had only been diagnosed in May.  Something else then happened which resulted in a friend of mine telling me to keep the faith and that it will get better.  That statement got me thinking:  How do you keep the faith?  Is it always the case of believing in yourself or picking yourself up when you're down?

And that's when I realized that I had been keeping the faith.  Every time I get on my bike and ride, I keep the faith.  Every time I fall off and people joke about how I need training wheels or orange cones, I keep the faith.  Every time life slaps me upside the head or knocks me down, I keep the faith.  Why? Because bumps, scratches, bruises and bruised egos heal.

Yesterday, Friday, October 26, I went for my first century ride - in layman's terms, that's 100km journey.  As I watched the bike computer hit 100.00, tears filled my eyes.  Why? Because I believed in myself and kept the faith.  And I know that I am keeping my promise to Jennifer.

So I will continue to keep the faith, believing in myself and my goal.  I also keep the faith that we will find a cure for this dreaded cancer disease and there won't be families like Jennifer's or Margaret's having to say goodbye to their loved ones.

Oh and by the way, in yesterday's ride, I finally conquered that damn little incline I spoke about in my last blog. 

If you would like to donate to my ride effort, please click on the link below.  I appreciate your help.

http://www.conquercancer.ca/site/TR/Events/Montreal2013?px=2645026&pg=personal&fr_id=1451