BACA Rocks!

You may never have heard of Bikers Against Child Abuse. I hadn’t, until I drove past a rally in Tooele, Utah, and turned the car around and stopped. About a hundred men and women and their handsome machines milled around a deli parking lot. Every rider had a B.A.C.A. patch blazoned across their backs. They were happy and they were proud.

I only had a chance to talk with a few men before the pack drove off, inviting them to my Truck Stop reading in Tooele on July 23rd. They said they’d spread the word. My friend Carolyn bought a black B.A.C.A. T-shirt with skulls and wings on the chest. I thought that we were through.

But Carolyn mulled over that meeting. And I went online to the B.A.C.A. website to find out about their work. I watched two great videos, one short, one long. I sent Carolyn their beautiful, powerfully written creed. And she said, “Make sure they come to your reading. They’re protecting kids and your book’s about a neglected kid. It’s a perfect match.”

So I called the Tooele chapter and extended another welcome. On July 23rd—the night of my first Truck Stop Reading—twenty minutes before we began, a strong kind man in black said, “You must be Barbara,” and I threw my arms around him and said, “B.A.C.A.’S here!”

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I read their creed aloud, to kick off the reading. And handed out B.A.C.A. decals. I read Guest House to two B.A.C.A. riders, one truck driver, the family of the restaurant manager who’d come to listen, and eighteen of my friends. It was a glorious night.

Then Clutch and Droopy, the B.A.C.A. dudes, let me take a few shots with them and their bodacious bikes. And for the grand finale, we drove off into the sunset together, Guest House, Droopy, Clutch and I.

I didn’t sleep much last night. I was so grateful for the long arms of men like that who care for children they’ve never even met because the children need their strength and their numbers. You find me a group with better intentions in this our day and age, and I’ll invite them to my next reading.

Thanks, B.A.C.A. My only regret is I did not buy a T-shirt. The v-neck one with red piping. Size small. Next time.

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FROM THE BACA CREED:

I am a member of Bikers Against Child Abuse…

My past has prepared me, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by the faith in my works, and lean on the strength of my brothers and sisters. I love with patience, live by prayer, and labor with power.

My fate is set, my gait is fast, my goal is the ultimate safety of children.