It was a beautiful June morning in 2007. The sun shone bright; a lovely but rare occasion considering most mornings were filled with the “June Glooms” of Southern California during this time of the year. A young bride and her beloved groom strode contentedly through rows and rows of goods being sold at the crowded and bustling swap meet. The world seemed the most delightful place to this bride. How could it be otherwise? Nothing could “rain on her parade” in this moment.
It seemed lately that her life was filled with beautiful moments. The man of her dreams had finally arrived at her proverbial doorstep. He entered her life and promptly swept her off her feet. From the moment he walked into the room, his blue eyes pierced her and his smile made her melt into a puddle of pathetic mud. It wasn’t long before she knew that no other man could ever make her happier and she knew that he would be hers forever…long before he even knew!
From the moment of their first kiss, this groom wanted nothing more than to make his bride happy. He built things for her from his own hands to make certain that her life was filled with beauty and simplicity. He made sure that if she were ever in need of anything, that those needs would be fulfilled promptly and completely. Mostly though, it was her wants that he made sure were always tended to. The young bride knew that if she wanted some chocolate, her groom would do anything in his power to make sure she had the chocolate. This is why on this particular Saturday morning in June they sauntered through the aisles of the swap meet looking for that one special thing.
The young bride had a vision of what she was looking for. It had to be red with a basket and a bell. The bell couldn’t be any ordinary bell, it needed to be a happy bell that would remind her and everyone around her what she felt in her heart at that moment.
The couple came upon a booth filled with every bicycle imaginable and instantly the bride was in heaven. She tried a few on for size and finally found THE one. The bright fire-engine red color was the first thing that caught her eye and then the cute little white hyacinths on the side and the red and white seat captivated her and she knew there was no other bicycle in the world that would do. There wasn’t a basket or a bell, but that problem was quickly remedied by the nice little Asian guy who showed them the variety of bells and baskets to choose from. As the bride took this bike for a little spin around the swap meet, she knew it was the one for her. The groom found one to suit him and they were off with their new purchases.
The next year was filled with memories. There were long lazy days at the beach, twilight rides through the neighborhood and lazy Sunday afternoons spent on their bicycles. Miles and miles had been ridden together with her groom composing moment after moment that the young bride would cherish forever. She never wanted those moments to end, and never really thought they would.
Then something happened that would change the couple’s lives forever. There was a baby on the way. They still felt like newlyweds and still rode their bicycles every chance they could. The thought entered both their minds that they would like to include their little baby on their bicycling escapades. They began making plans to add a baby carriage to the back of the bicycles and the thought came to the groom that they would need more than just beach-cruiser bicycles, but they would need bicycles with gears that were equipped to pull a baby carriage behind. The bride immediately protested. It wasn’t just the bicycle she didn’t want to give up, it was the memories.
Time for the baby to come came closer and closer and the groom felt it was time to find a new home for the bicycles. He found some newlyweds who wanted them and could continue their legacy.
The bride wept…and wept…and WEPT. She felt like these bicycles were a symbol of couple’s newlywed status. They symbolized the time they spent together, the year and a half of just the two of them. She didn’t weep for the material things that these bicycles were, but for the love and memories that they symbolized – for times now past and for an unsure, but bright future. She truly knew the bicycles had found a good home and was grateful, but wasn’t sure she was ready to let go of the meaning they had. Somehow though, she had to let go, move on and grow from a new bride to a wife and a mother.
It seemed lately that her life was filled with beautiful moments. The man of her dreams had finally arrived at her proverbial doorstep. He entered her life and promptly swept her off her feet. From the moment he walked into the room, his blue eyes pierced her and his smile made her melt into a puddle of pathetic mud. It wasn’t long before she knew that no other man could ever make her happier and she knew that he would be hers forever…long before he even knew!
From the moment of their first kiss, this groom wanted nothing more than to make his bride happy. He built things for her from his own hands to make certain that her life was filled with beauty and simplicity. He made sure that if she were ever in need of anything, that those needs would be fulfilled promptly and completely. Mostly though, it was her wants that he made sure were always tended to. The young bride knew that if she wanted some chocolate, her groom would do anything in his power to make sure she had the chocolate. This is why on this particular Saturday morning in June they sauntered through the aisles of the swap meet looking for that one special thing.
The young bride had a vision of what she was looking for. It had to be red with a basket and a bell. The bell couldn’t be any ordinary bell, it needed to be a happy bell that would remind her and everyone around her what she felt in her heart at that moment.
The couple came upon a booth filled with every bicycle imaginable and instantly the bride was in heaven. She tried a few on for size and finally found THE one. The bright fire-engine red color was the first thing that caught her eye and then the cute little white hyacinths on the side and the red and white seat captivated her and she knew there was no other bicycle in the world that would do. There wasn’t a basket or a bell, but that problem was quickly remedied by the nice little Asian guy who showed them the variety of bells and baskets to choose from. As the bride took this bike for a little spin around the swap meet, she knew it was the one for her. The groom found one to suit him and they were off with their new purchases.
The next year was filled with memories. There were long lazy days at the beach, twilight rides through the neighborhood and lazy Sunday afternoons spent on their bicycles. Miles and miles had been ridden together with her groom composing moment after moment that the young bride would cherish forever. She never wanted those moments to end, and never really thought they would.
Then something happened that would change the couple’s lives forever. There was a baby on the way. They still felt like newlyweds and still rode their bicycles every chance they could. The thought entered both their minds that they would like to include their little baby on their bicycling escapades. They began making plans to add a baby carriage to the back of the bicycles and the thought came to the groom that they would need more than just beach-cruiser bicycles, but they would need bicycles with gears that were equipped to pull a baby carriage behind. The bride immediately protested. It wasn’t just the bicycle she didn’t want to give up, it was the memories.
Time for the baby to come came closer and closer and the groom felt it was time to find a new home for the bicycles. He found some newlyweds who wanted them and could continue their legacy.
The bride wept…and wept…and WEPT. She felt like these bicycles were a symbol of couple’s newlywed status. They symbolized the time they spent together, the year and a half of just the two of them. She didn’t weep for the material things that these bicycles were, but for the love and memories that they symbolized – for times now past and for an unsure, but bright future. She truly knew the bicycles had found a good home and was grateful, but wasn’t sure she was ready to let go of the meaning they had. Somehow though, she had to let go, move on and grow from a new bride to a wife and a mother.
3 comments:
The Irony. I just purchased a cute little blue cruiser that looks just like your red one so I could ride with my kids who now have their own bikes. DRUMROLL>>>>>It's the circle of life....and it moves us all(Picture dancing elephants and giraffes in the background)
Make me cry Em! Life has a way of moving on! Your life is about to change more than you know!
Its crazy that I would spot your post today. This morning I spent the time weeding through the kids toys, and boxing up the baby toys that are long now out grown.
It made me sad. Time goes too fast. You will find more of these moments as you view life through new eyes. It goes lightening speed. Hang On!
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