Vintage

 

Back in January our van decided it had been faithful long enough or maybe it had had enough of our rambunctious crew. Either way it blew its engine.

So, Joel being the resourceful firefighter that he is, decided that our former mode of transportation would make a great training tool for his fellow firefighters.  He hauled the old girl down to the fire department and hauled her back looking like this. I can’t imagine any of those guys had fun cutting this up with the Jaws of Life, can you?

For about a month afterwards I was without a vehicle, which honestly wasn’t a problem for this home body with dysfunctional feet.  Especially in the dead of winter.

We tossed around the idea of getting another used van, but the thought of getting into a monthly payment made us uneasy. In light of the underemployment issue we are now dealing with, I know with out a doubt that those feelings were straight from the Lord.

Our dear neighbor lady, who Joel helps out when needs arise, and who I feel has adopted Joel as a family member since all her immediate family is deceased, offered us her car. Her generosity to us is amazing.  I know that this car has quite a bit of sentimental value to her.  Several people have offered to buy it from her, but she refuses to sell it even though it has sat in her barn, unused, for almost two decades.

At first I balked a little at the idea.  I just wasn’t sure how I could go back to driving a car after the convenience of a van. Plus the coolness factor was an issue. I let my vanity get the better of me.

All I could picture when I looked at this car was the classic grandma grocery getter.

You know, hair in rollers, house coat, brown leather tie up shoes, white socks and a huge purse.

Obviously we accepted our generous neighbor ladies offer. We couldn’t turn it down.  How awesome was it that she wanted us to have this car, a car that meant so much to her.  Joel did a bit of work on it, but not much.  I was surprised that it actually run!  A major bonus was that it only had 16,000 miles on it.

To ease myself into the idea of driving this older car, I began to call it my VINTAGE RIDE. That makes it a little cool, right? I mean vintage is in.

What do you think?

 

In all seriousness, I am thankful for this car and for the wonderful generosity of our neighbor lady.  I learned something about myself through this whole process.  I still care a little too much about external appearances.  It does not matter what I drive or wear.  I do not need to own the latest and greatest.  It does not matter what others think about my vehicle. 

What matters is the love shown us by a dear sweet friend.

What matters is the condition of my heart. 

The Lord has taught me another valuable lesson.  One that He seems to remind me of often.  He is concerned for the beauty of my heart, not external and temporary items.

I have become quite content with my vintage ride, she gets me where I need to go very dependably and I’ll let you in on a little secret, she’s got a V-8.

OH YES!

Not that I would know anything about all that power and speed!

Really! :)