A BIBLE VERSE & A BIKE

In September 2015, Dad and Debra posed in front of a framed Bible verse hanging on their wall and he shared the picture on Facebook. He posted it in reference to what their pastor taught about that weekend. 

Five years later, in September 2020, I mentioned to Beep in a message that there were four things from the loss of Dad and Debra's home in the Almeda Fire that felt like a personal loss to me. One of them was this print of Joshua 24:15b. 

Dad and Mom received the framed verse as a wedding gift in the summer of 1975 and it hung in a prominent place in every home they lived in for the sixteen years and seven months of their marriage. Then it hung in a prominent place of every home Dad lived in as a single guy for ten years. Then it hung in a prominent place of every home Dad and Debra lived in for eighteen years and eight months of their marriage. 

That verse had been part of my dad's home for over forty-five years. Then it burned with everything else he and Debra owned. 

I mentioned to my sister that as I was typing out my message to her it occurred to me that I could buy them a new version of the verse to hang in their current home. It's a popular verse and I knew I could find countless options on Etsy. Then she, being the artist she is, mentioned the possibility of finding someone who could duplicate the original. 

Messages were sent. Referrals were given. A connection was made. Questions were asked. Answers were given. Process pictures and videos were sent. Buckets of happy tears were shed upon receipt of every single one of those pictures and videos. A parking lot meetup was arranged. I posed with Amanda LeDoux, long-time acquaintance and current worker of miracles.

This is what she handed me at the back of my van on a drizzly afternoon. 

You guys, she nailed. As my sister said, perfection. As Tim said, wow. That pretty much sums it up. I immediately went to get it framed, then got a call to pick it up a couple weeks later. 

So beautiful and special!! I cried in the store. Yes, I did. No shame.

Today (and I'm still counting this as Tuesday, even though it's technically Wednesday, because I've been up for twenty-one hours since crawling out of bed Tuesday morning) Naomi, Tyler, and I drove down to Medford to deliver it. 

I asked Dad a few days ago if we could bring lunch over today. He said yes and asked what the occasion was. I told him he was the occasion. And that was that. So we brought lunch for everyone, including Beep, and visited for a bit. Then I said I had something to show them. (Sidenote: It wasn't the pregnancy announcement he thought it was going to be. Ha!) 

I asked him and Debra to side next to each other and close their eyes. They were very obedient. 

Then I set the frame across their laps and told them to open their eyes. 

Oh, you guys! This whole verse project has been so incredible. Needless to say, they were grateful for the gift. Also, let the record state that I didn't cry today. Evidently I got all my crying done through every single step that led to today's delivery. 

So, here's a picture of a man and his wife with their new wall decor. 

And a picture of a man with his daughters, the one who came up with brilliant idea to have a replica made and the one who took on the project. 

Here's a final shot that shows what an incredible job Amanda did. 

Folks, she had one super poor quality picture of something she'd never seen in person and recreated it in a way that impressed my whole family. And now Dad and Debra will have this hanging in a prominent place of every home they live in from now on. 

Amazing. Just amazing.

Before I move on to the next thing, I want to thank Drew for giving me names of people who might be able to help with this meaningful project; Jenny for letting Amanda know I'd messaged her; Tyler and Sara for helping with flower identification; the Creekers who gave me feedback about Michael's for framing; Jordan at the Tualatin Michael's for helping me choose a frame and Jamie for inviting me back to the store and talking me off the ledge when I was second-guessing the frame choice; Natie, Sonja, and Shon for being the only non-family members not involved in the process who knew about it a little bit earlier than everyone else and shared in my excitement; and to all of these people for keeping it a secret.  

And, of course, more thanks than I could ever possibly give, and believe me when I say I've given a lot, to Amanda. As an aside, this kind of thing, as well as other art of hers I've seen, isn't even what she does for a living. Her real job is digital interactive design. (I say that as though I have a clue about what all that encompasses. I don't. But you can check out her work here.)

So that's the scoop about the Bible verse. Now let's talk about the bike. I didn't realize until now that I'd only given the following update on Facebook, so I'll start by copying what I said there back on 10/31/20. 

*****

I shared on 9/9 that three members of my extended family lost two homes in the Almeda Fire. My sister, knowing that I love to rally the troops, mentioned to me that Dad had been riding his bike several miles each week and maybe I could work on replacing it. His insurance could cover it, but this was something I could work on as a gift to him.

I posted about different ways folks who wanted to help out financially could bless my extended family, one of which was a bike fund. Some donated specifically to that cause. Others donated and said I could apply the money wherever I saw fit, so some of that money went toward a bike.

The money was ready a couple weeks later, but Dad wasn't. Until this week. I sent him money two days ago, he happily spent it the same day, and sent me this picture just a few minutes ago. This is his first bike ride in almost eight weeks!

I've thanked all of you repeatedly for the support you've shown my family through tangible items, money, prayer, and simply asking how they're doing since the fire. Today I want to specifically thank those who made purchasing this bike and accessories possible. I'm so happy Dad can enjoy some fresh air and exercise in this beautiful autumn weather!

 

*****

Today he got to show me the bike in person. So cool!

We struck a pose together - him and his bike, me and my awkward braces smile. Because that's my reality these days.

It wasn't until we were driving home later that Tyler mentioned we didn't get a group shot that included him and Naomi while we were at Dad and Debra's. I was so focused on the verse, which I've been giddy about for months now, that I forgot about my offspring. Oops! At least I remembered to feed them. That counts for something, right?

Once again, a huge thank you to everyone who donated to the GoFundMe that one of my nieces did for Dad and Debra, the GoFundMe I did for Ashley, the bike fund for Dad, and cash for me to distribute as I saw fit. That cash is what allowed Dad to replace his bike and the replica of the sentimental framed verse to be made. Thank you for caring for my extended family during this crazy season. I'm so very grateful. 

And big thanks to my sister for coming up with great ideas that she knows I'll enjoy taking on as projects. We make a good team like that. And for taking pictures without me asking, then texting them to me without me asking. She's good like that.