who I met yesterday

Yesterday I decided to take the kids to the local Children's Museum for something different to do. You can only do the same things over and over before it drives you bonkers, so off we went ... We saw a marionette show, which was good until the whale ate Pinocchio, and that weirded The Bee out.

After a bit more playing time, we stopped at McDonald's for lunch. It's never first on my list, but in the end, I'm glad we went.

The kids ate their lunches, and we had coupons for free ice cream cones. I sent Q up there to get his by himself, and when he came back, The Bee and I went up.

We were standing in line and I noticed that a biker had walked in and was in line behind us. I got a closer look at the patches on his vest, and one of them was florescent yellow - Patriot Guard Rider. I was keeping The Bee in line, so I quickly commented, "Oh, you guys do good work". He didn't really say anything, and after a couple more minutes in line, I turned around and offered to buy him a cup of coffee.

Me: Sir, can I buy you a cup of coffee?
PGR: No, I'll pass.
Me: Really. I'd like to buy you a cup of coffee. You are doing a great thing, and I really appreciate it.
PGR: No, thank you, I appreciate it though.

It was at this point that I almost dropped my soda on the floor and The Bee got her ice cream, so we went back to the table and The Rider ordered his lunch.

If you're not familiar with the Patriot Guards, they are a volunteer group that provides a barrier to the public (usually protesters) at military funerals, whether they be active duty or retired from the service. They also provide motorcycle escorts along the way. They started in response to a church group that was protesting outside the funeral of a fallen soldier. Very quickly, word spread, and now, I believe, there are groups in many of the 50 states.

But, the weird thing is, I couldn't stop staring at him. I literally wanted to sit next to him and just chat. It's like he was a celebrity or something ... he was better than a movie star, better than a politician - he is an Ordinary Joe, volunteering to do something good for somebody he most likely doesn't even know. Just because it's the right thing to do.

While we were waiting for The Bee to finish her ice cream, Q was holding the door for folks coming in and out of McDonalds, and he held the door for The Rider on his way out. The kids like motorcycles anyway (so does their Mom!), so I let them stand in the breezeway and watch him leave. I was almost in tears - I was just so proud of him and the group he represents.

As he drove away I saw the two huge American flags that he had on the back of his bike. Initially, when I saw his bike in the lot, I thought it was strange that somebody was riding their bike with two giant pool noodles on the back, but later I realized that those are his flags, and they were covered to keep them from blowing.

So if you're ever out and happen to see a motorcycle with two pool noodles and a florescent patch, know that he's a Patriot Guard Rider.