3/28/25 - Friday Forget-Me-Nots by Jim Silcott

Photo Caption: Dress like your Favorite Book Character Day

Dear Our Lady of Peace Family,

It took me a long time to learn how to ride a two-wheeled bicycle. I started in the alley behind my row house in Baltimore, Maryland in the summer before second grade with lots of skinned knees. By that fall we had moved to Long Island in New York, and I finally got the hang of it in the parking lot of Ocean Ave. School there but not without many failed attempts and riding into a big tree one time. 

Since second grade I have never stopped riding. I am a lousy athlete, but I am a good cyclist. I am slow but steady. I don’t know how many miles I have pedaled since 1963 but in 2010 I started keeping track of each mile. As of this week, I stand just shy of 45,000 miles. 

In September 2026 I will, by the grace of God, turn 70. My goal is to reach 50k by that time. To reach it I need to average 300 miles a week. It’s going to be tight but having this goal keeps me moving forward. 

My oldest daughter and her family moved to Perth, Australia about 15 years ago and lived there for nine years. I would go there every Christmas, which is the height of the summer season down under. Bicycling is very big there and I got up each morning and rode my son-in-law’s bicycle. I had also tried a few long-distance rides here in the states: Pittsburgh to D.C. and across Missouri on the Katy Trail. I got the notion of trying to bicycle in as many states and continents as I could. I had already conquered the most far flung one in Australia so I figured the rest could be tackled. 

I have done better with continents than with states. To date I have ridden in only 27 states, but I have taken solo trips in Ghana, The Netherlands, Singapore as well as Canada. Five continents down, two to go. Antarctica might be a stretch for me, but next spring break I have booked a trip to Chile to ride along the Pacific coast there. This trip, unlike the others, will be with a group. I used to bike and camp but this time I will be sleeping in a hotel every night. 

My wife is an occasional cyclist. She is not coming but she gave me her blessing. She will stay home (if anyone wants to go, feel free to contact me. We can share a room and bring down the cost). Having this second goal also keeps me moving forward. 

Having goals in life is important. At different times, our goals evolve. Learning to walk, to tie a shoe, to ride a bike, to graduate from school on different levels, to find a partner, to raise children into adulthood, to welcome grandchildren into the world. Many of us have professional goals as well. Some goals are accomplished with little thought. One day we wake up and realize that we have hit that milestone. Others are more difficult. Sometimes we must give up a goal, or substitute one for another. 

The important thing is to always have something to reach for. It answers the eternal question, “Why am I here?” As believers of Christ and His promises to us, it is a way of becoming the person that God wanted us to be when he created us. 

I have had and will have many more important goals in my life in fulfilling my part in building the Kingdom. If I never ride another mile on my bicycle or visit another state in my lifetime, I will be okay. But for me, moving forward with these types of goals puts me in the proper frame of mind for the important one: “To know Him, to love Him, to serve Him, in this world, and be happy with Him in the next.” 

Jim Silcott