Thank(mas): Car

(if you wanna know what's going one, click here.)

Today I acknowledge the gift of my car.

(Or rather, the car I am using for transportation purposes at this present juncture of life.)

In April of 2011 I rear-ended a green pick-up truck from Virginia at a stoplight on my way out of town. Nothing serious - I was going less than 15 miles and hour at the time and didn't even realize I had hit them till my hood curled up in front of me. However, it was a big enough hit to total my already low-valued car and end my minuscule career as a car-owner.

Since then I have survived off rides, walking, buses, and borrowed cars. These cars, an old Nissan that someone gave our family (and was also my first car), an old Plymouth someone gave our family, and a decent Buick that, you guessed it, someone gave our family, have been a blessing at various points in my life. 

The Buick is one of two cars that that belong to my father. Two because our neighbor willed them to him an old blue Chevy, and a decent white Buick, when he passed away. My father in turn drives a tiny, low power, high gas, no air condition or radio, curmudgeon of a truck. He's a pretty great father.

All last semester, when the Nissan was on its last legs, Dad let me drive the Buick. This summer at camp I didn't have a car (thanks all for the rides) and when I came back home to work, I got pre-approved for a car loan, but didn't want to rush into anything.

Dad surprised me on Labor Day by suggesting (where he had previously suggested loan) that instead of getting deeper in debt, I just take over expenses on the Buick, since we're all trying to save money. It would help him by cutting down on insurance, and maintenance bills, and help me by allowing me to just focus on my school loan.

The Buick takes me nearly 250 miles a week on average, between my three jobs, running errands, visiting people (like my grandmother) and it does so faithfully.

It has heating and air conditioning, and a working radio that has allowed me to attach a cd player to, so I can have music of my own choosing wherever I go. (See previous post on music).

The backseat holds my extra jackets, discarded cd's, a box of tissues, books for my classes and all the packages that tote from work to the post office.

I absolutely love that it takes me to see so many people I love. And helps me give rides to even more.

I am mostly appreciative that so far, it is a literal gift from my father, to be able to use it and it is also a blessing to be able to drive it, and be mobile, and it is a gift from God that cars were even invented, so that Buick is a gift, upon a gift, upon a gift.

All of them gifts, acknowledged.

(see next post here)