Last summer, Jeff Roth, an avid bicyclist in the community where I live and bike, was hit and killed by a car. The day of his funeral, a ride of silence was held in his memory in which my son and I rode.

On that day, I didn’t know Jeff Roth or his family but along the route I saw his widow, Kathy Roth as well as other friends and family members holding signs and pictures of him. On that day, tears streamed down my face as I rode past his precious girls who were holding up signs thanking us for riding. On that day, my cycling habits changed. His girls, the same age as two of my young daughters, will grow up without their father to counsel them, worry about them when they start to date, and walk them down the aisle when they marry. Kathy Roth, a gentle, yet incredibly strong woman, who I have come to know, certainly has grieved for her husband. Yet she didn’t let her grief paralyze her. On Wednesday May 30 in Nashville, the Jeff Roth Bicycle Protection Act was signed at the Capitol to help protect bicyclist from drivers who drive too close to bicyclist. As I have interviewed people who truly live rich, one of the principles they have in common is that they turn adversity into inspiration to bring about change. Thanks to Kathy Roth and others, a positive change has come from an incredibly unfortunate circumstance.