Ok. I was going to post this 1000th else where but since my friend Chip started this thread I’ll post here. Thank you. I know you have all been waiting for some big group hug… The stage has been set for some enlightened words but I can only offer this:
I want to take this monumental occasion to express to all of you my humblest gratitude. Each and every one of you has added something special in my life. I have only been on this site since September ’06. Yet, I feel like I have known some of you for years. I have never been on another ‘chat’ room so I cannot make comparisons. This site, however, must be like none other. Where and how else can so many wonderful people from so many different backgrounds come together?
It is here that I have actually meet members that have invited me into their homes, not knowing who I am. I have broken bread with and slept in your homes. I truly consider all of you some of the finest people I have met. You have shared your experiences and knowledge with complete strangers. You have taught others who may not be so mechanically inclined how to perform tasks that otherwise would have cost hundreds of dollars. And how to do little tricks and secrets that others envy.
Here we share more than just our love for motorcycles. We have witnessed the engagement of two members, the wedding of another and the birth of grandchildren. We have experience the hardship one faces with loss of a beloved. We have gone through the pain of our fellow brother’s surgery. All of these experiences have brought us closer together because we bought a certain brand of motorcycle. How is it that we all bond together based on this simple premise?
I wonder if Harley Davidson ever had in their wildest dreams that such a devout customer base could exist. We are a group of men and women that are brought together by passion for the absolute best. You only have to look at those people who own Screamin Eagle motorcycles and have joined this site and those that know about the site and do not visit or contribute. Those of us that are here are for a special reason. I don’t know why a Higher Power has brought us together but He has.
God has blessed me with the opportunity to be amongst you. In a couple of months it will be my 40th birthday. I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a wonderful family that has been extremely supportive through all of the things that life throws at you. And you my friends are part of what I have to be thankful for. I look forward to meeting you all.
Thank you.
AJ