Goodbye Little Car!

I seem to be saying a lot of goodbyes lately. Thankfully, I have faith that I will be able to be reunited with everyone I love and admire sometime, somewhere.Unfortunately, I am pretty sure I will not be reunited with my little car. She was such a sweet little car. She worked hard. She witnessed each and everyone of my children's soccer games. (I personally think she was a big fan.) She suffered through both of the kids learning to drive. She faithfully took me to work and got me back, even when the weather suggested we should stay home. She managedd to survive several birthday parties. She took dogs to the vet and people to the doctor. She never complained. The few repairs we had to do were minor and quickly done. I will miss her "I can do it!" attitude. Wait! What am I saying? I will not miss my tough, little escort station wagon. Why? Well, she had almost 240,000 miles on her for starters. She was getting the hicups frequently; which felt like the car was not getting gas and would die at any moment. She was loud- really LOUD! Julie called me the other day on my way home and thought I was on the outside of an airplane. I'm talking L O U D!!! When it rained hard, some of the water would leak under the windshield and spit in your eyes as you were driving. (Frankly, I began to think it was her way of letting me know she didn't like to be out in bad weather.) Riding in the passenger seat was very uncomfortable. Her cassette player broke several years ago. (Nope. That's not a typo. I said cassette.) She didn't have very good night vision. Uh.. her head lights weren't all they used to be. Her shocks were a bit rough, too. Well, we all lose a little spring in our behinds as we grow old, so I tried not to hold it against her. Anyway. What this all adds up to is this: She was a wonderful car that still got 30 miles a gallon. (I kid you not. I checked it twice.) However, it was time for her to take a little trip.... uh.... to Mexico. OK. OK. It's not the nice quiet country road where I'm sure all cars dream of retiring. But hopefully, she will bring some joy to a family that could really use her.
What am I going to do with my sorrow and guilt of losing her? I'm pretty sure driving my New Kia Sportage will help me forget. Oh, did I say it was New?! Yep, brand spanking new. I have never had a new car. Never smelled that new car smell, (unless I was stealing a sniff from someone else's car.) Now, I can sit in my car and sniff all I want. It is olive green, which is pretty despite the name. I love it! It has a CD player and a great sound system. It has a wonderful turning radius. Frankly, it rivals a little car in that sense. I fell very comfortable driving it and Jesse says the passenger seat is very comfy too. (I wouldn't know. I haven't let anyone else drive it yet.) It's doesn't get 30 mpg, but what the heck. I no longer feel like people can't see me because I'm below their vision. You know, nobody's pulled out in front of me, yet. It happened all the time before. People would take one look at me and think I couldn't go past 40 mph. So, out they would pop instead of waiting for the totally clear space behind me. Did I say, I love it! I feel so incredibly blessed and loved. God and Jesse, both, spent a lot of time and effort making this happen for me. Thank you, Lord! Thank you for the answered prayers. Thanks for bringing to our attention that one vehicle we looked at was a lemon. Thanks for having us wait till the end of the month. Smart move on your part! Thanks for making the entire process a blessing for us both. Thank you, Jesse! Thanks for doing all the hard work. I drove the cars and you did all the paper work. Thanks for caring enough to not want me to drive something that might, someday, breakdown. Thanks for bringing the new car home as a surprise. Thanks for taking a drive with me, at 8:30, just because I was so excited. Finally, thanks for letting the little station wagon know that we appreciated her, hoped she had a long happy life ahead of her, and would see her in Mexico. Not many men would do that for their wife and her old car, especially in front of the salesman. Thanks! I love you!