Riding Tandem

Hey guys and gals!
So, I have some very dear friends that are biking from Jasper, Alberta, Canada to Estes Park, Colorado. And if that isn't impressive enough, they are doing it with a toddler, on a tandem bike. WOW! I am thrilled that they are my friends and thrilled that God has put adventure in their hearts. If you are interested, they are keeping a blog of their adventures: https://gordonandhui.wordpress.com/
My reason for bringing this up is that riding tandem is not as easy as it looks. Take a look at the bike itself.

It looks like it would be hard just to get on the thing. The peddles need to be in the right place for both the person on the bike and the person getting on the bike. Control is more difficult with  a tandem bike as only one person can control the steering. Also, maintaining the same speed has to be super difficult.
On the flip side, I can only imagine how much fun it must be to have someone else with you to share every moment. My friends talk about how neat it is to see the mountains at the same moment. How much more fun a flat tire is when you have someone to laugh with as you change it. I guess riding tandem truly has some advantages.
Recently, my husband and I have either been in or attended several weddings. The weddings and the tandem bike got me to thinking about marriage.
Marriage is much like a tandem bike. You need to be on the same path and going the same speed to make it in marriage. I am blessed to have a husband who is both on the same path and willing to go the same speed as I, even when that speed is super slow due to health issues. On a tandem bike you both have to brake at the same time. In marriage, you both need times of rest. Too much busyness can kill a marriage. On a tandem bike you both have to stop to make repairs. How true is this also in marriage? You both have to stop and work on issues, money needs and just daily decisions. On a tandem bike, you get to enjoy the highs on the mountaintops and the lows of the valley with someone else. And that is so true of marriage. You take your spouse with you through all of the valleys and you get to enjoy the mountaintops just a bit more with your mate there beside you.
God said , "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up." (Ecclediastes 4: 9-10) That is what marriage and tandem biking is all about.
I am thankful for a husband who will ride the tandem bike of marriage with me. Here is to many more mountaintop views and support through the valleys.
Before I close, I want to say that before I was married I found great encouragement from Godly friendships with other gals. Thank you to those gals for riding at the same speed with me, for helping me when my tires were flat, for laughing with me during the valleys and enjoying the mountaintops with me. You were and still are an encouragement to me.
Until next time...