Somber thoughts remain

Kilo had a last request, to have his ashes spread wide and far. His wife wanted to do this, and reached out to the 27,000 members of VROC for help. Immediately, dozens and dozens of people lined up to help. All across the US and Canada, small portions of Kilo's ashes will be freed to the wind, water, and nature in general. But it is not stopping there. Small packets will be shipped around the world; Trinidad, Japan, Europe, New Zealand. Personally, I offered to spread some of his ashes in Ohio, and also in Australia when I travel there next week.

I am amazed at how quickly dozens and dozens of people stepped up to help Kilo's wife to fulfill his last wishes, surrounding the world. Some have set up a memorial ride to distribute the ashes, others are doing it quietly. A fund was set up to take donations to help out with the mailing and funeral costs.

And even more amazing - I have seen this happen over and over, when someone is in need, in pain, or just running into a rough patch. Most times, it is simple words of comfort and prayers. Sometimes it is volunteering of time or talent, and occasionally money.

Many times, these people have never met. They just know each other through the Internet. Myself, I have only met 30-40 out of the thousands. Next year, one of the largest rallies is being held in Kentucky and I have committed to attend with the hopes of meeting over 100 people I speak to over the net almost nightly.

So my thoughts have been somber as of late. Revisiting what is important to me, to my life. I took a short ride this evening to be alone with my thoughts. There are some back roads out of town that I take sometimes, going into Columbus. About half way is a statue, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. I stopped there tonight, sat for a little bit. The statue is in memory of the men lost during the bloodiest war America has ever seen - The Civil War. You can click on the images below and get a larger image.



So tonight, rambling thoughts as I sort through the pain and the joys of life. As always, making decisions that seem to be the right ones. A friend of mine was contemplating what success really meant. Inline with my thoughts over the last few days, I quoted my favorite Greek philosopher, Anonymous [grin]:

"You have achieved success if you have lived well, laughed often and loved much."