participated in the ray price easter basket ride saturday… first time i’ve joined in and it was quite an experience…
daughter and i headed out in the morning, starting the morning off right by filling out bellies with bo’s… after that, it was too the dealership to line up for the ride…
after ordering the gloves, we cruised around the dealership killing time, waiting for departure…
ray price on his trike, posing for a short press conference…
some of the over one hundred bikes that rode along…
the national guard convoy that escorted us around. it was reported they collect over 600 baskets to be distributed…
bob, of bob and the showgram, lead the ride…
first stop… when you’re on a ride like this, you don’t really get a feel for how many bikes and riders there are until you make a stop and see the place packed with bikes…
i was a little surprised by the (lack of) turnout at the first stop. not sure why, but i was expecting more kids. especially with about six hundred baskets to deliver.
the activities started out with an entertaining lesson about easter, god and jesus from bob fowler of the child evangelism fellowship. after his talk, the baskets were passed out to the kids…
then it was time to head to the second stop, where the number of kids definitely made up for the lack of kids at the first stop… i had no doubt we’d be able to pass out all the baskets at this stop…
this little kid was so cute. the basket was a big as he was. i think the joy he was feeling in receiving the basket overcame any difficultly he may have had with the size of the basket. 
this ride was a really special ride… i enjoyed being able to pass out baskets to underprivileged kids. but there was a dark side to giving. or more rightfully, the receiving. and i really saw it when we got to the second, larger stop.
as we were passing out baskets, i saw several children refuse certain baskets, asking, no almost demanding a basket with something else in it. i can fully understand requesting a basket specific for a boy or girl. but to turn down a basket with one toy in favor of another?? isn’t it satisfying enough just to be receiving something??
and then there were the kids that would grab a basket, hand it off to mom and go get another. and another. and another. again, isn’t it satisfying enough just to get a basket??
but it’s not for me to judge. all i can do is learn from the lesson and try not to make the same mistake. to be grateful when someone is there to help. not greedy, asking or taking more than what’s being offered. maybe it’s the place i am in my life right now. i’m grateful for where i am, the people that are in my life, for what i have. would it be nice to have more?? of course!! but the other side of the coin is it could always be worse. a lot worse.
so the ride was a good one. i really enjoyed it. it’s really about the joy you can bring to the many who are appreciative you’re there, appreciative that you care enough to think of them.
peace…
