I have this nice little memory of my mother that is uniquely mine. I don't have any pics of it...just the memory. I really don't remember the year or exactly how old I was (but I can guess I was around seven or eight years old). The memory is of my mom waking me up early in the morning so we could take a bike ride together.
My mom, if my memory serves me correctly, rode a super cool 5-speed bike that she and my dad got at the JCPenney's in Altoona, PA. No gears for me...my first real bike was old school...a single speed with a sparkly blue paint job and a banana seat! I have no clue how many times mom and I got up early to do this and why my brother and my dad weren't involved...but I know she and I did this more than once. Here, however, is what I do remember...vividly. I remember riding down South Juliana Street with the cool morning mist hitting my face. We both had a head lamp, the size of a grape fruit, attached to our handle bars so we could see in the predawn hours. I can also remember pedaling early in the morning on the quiet streets of the normally busy town of Bedford. I have no problem recalling the exhilaration of descending the hill past Fort Bedford and down to the river...and then climbing (or possibly pushing my bike) back up the "super steep to a kid" hill that becomes North Thomas Street. Our ride then took us past the old Bedford County Jail and Saint Thomas Catholic School before making our way to Lafayette Street and back home...just as the sun was coming up.
It's a neat memory that I think about often...especially today, the eve of Mother's Day and just a few days past the 15th anniversary of my mom's passing. To this day...I'm not sure why she and I went on those rides alone...but I know that we did and the memory is always with me. I'm not sure if my mom knew it but, by going on those bike rides with me, she created a memory that is uniquely mine. Thank you so much, mom. I love you.
My mom, Kathy Raymond. This pic was taken in Ohiopyle State Park. -- November 1980 |
Yep...that's me in 1980. |
Life is a journey...not a destination.
David A. Raymond -- May 12, 2018
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