The Car Show

A couple of weeks ago, there was a car show at my husband's place (I like to call it that. Don't you think it sounds better than "facility"?). Now, if there was anything in the world my husband enjoyed as much as swap meets, it was car shows. We have belonged to several car clubs over the years. Some  memberships were formal, some not so much; but, all were fun, entered into with gusto, and included not-to-be-missed special events.

My husband dragged me and our reluctant children to early-morning swap meets to look up one aisle and down the next for that one elusive car part or other. There was much moaning, complaining, and begging to be left sleeping at home in warm beds, to no avail. These car swaps were a hobby shared with his brother, so it was a family affair.

We went to car shows, rallies, show 'n shines, and even a couple of "national tours" with CHVA (Contemporary Historical Vehicle Association), one of which our Mt. Shasta Region club organized. We drove our 1936 Cadillac Fleetwood to Reno, where the tour started after the Reno Swap Meet during Hot August Nights. Our caravan of fabulous chariots wound up through some lovely backroad areas in the Sierras, dropped down into the Sacramento Valley, through Redding, over to Eureka, and down the coast to the Bay Area, where the Redwood Region club had organized their annual classic car show. My husband served as a judge there. He knew his automobiles. I tell you all this because I want to make sure you understand my husband's passion for all things automobile.

Sweet Ride!

The Saturday morning of the recent car show, I drove to my husband's place in eager anticipation. I knew he would be thrilled to see the shiny hot rods and classic cars in the parking lot. As I walked beside him from his place, down the sidewalk, and around the corner to the show, I chatted happily about the vehicles we would see, the people we could talk to about their cars, the beautiful weather, and all sorts of happy things. I could hardly wait to see the big smile on his face and the gleam in his eyes. But while he reacted positively to the '50s and '60s music that was playing through the loudspeakers, he didn't even notice the cars at all. Even when I pointed out this feature or that feature, he barely glanced over.

I was crushed and saddened. I could hardly keep from crying and was grateful for sunglasses and fake smiles. What a letdown! I began to wish I hadn't attended the event, because now all of our past excellent memories related to this hobby would be forever marred by the overriding remembrance of this, possibly last together, car show.

Returning to his place, I could see that he was exhausted from the effort. The caregivers were anxious for good news about his reactions, but I had none to deliver. And then one of them suggested taking him out in his wheelchair and trying it again. What a great idea. Why didn't I think of that? So off we went, at a much faster clip this time and with race car noises coming from me (don't judge me).

Friends, what a difference it made. I won't say that he suddenly rose from the chair, named off the makes and models, examined what was under the hoods, and kicked the tires. Because he didn't. But he most certainly seemed to be enjoying the ride, at least. And seeing a fleeting smile on his face now and then made it all worthwhile. Instead of a bummer being the icing on this cake, it was topped off with an attitude of gratitude. And isn't that so much better?

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Musings About Life

I saw a post from a friend on Facebook today. It showed two children playing under a young tree, then the two young people holding hands as the tree grows, then the husband and wife embracing as the tree reaches maturity, then the elderly couple with canes standing next to each other under the same tree, then the husband sitting next to the wife's grave under the tree which is beginning to die, and then both graves under the dead tree. Food for thought.

The Two of Us

The post reminded me that several of the trees on our property have completed their cycle and have died or are in the process of dying. I suppose they are a metaphor for our life. There is no cure for my husband's illness. It's been attacking him, little by little to devastating effect, for over a decade. But there's also no guarantee that I won't go first.

Life. It's so simple when you're a child, so full of possibility and excitement when you're young and anticipating your future. You find comfort in each other as you mature as a couple, assuming you've been blessed with a loving partner. You expect to take care of each other through your "golden years." And when life ends, it generally ends in the usual way:  First one of you leaves the other, and then -- lonely and brokenhearted -- the one who stays behind waits until it's time to go, too.

It sounds a bit depressing, doesn't it? But it isn't, really. It's life. It begins, it unfolds, it ends. Look at a flower, for instance. The seed is placed in the ground. Pretty soon, the plant starts to grow. Exciting! And then there's a bud where a flower waits to make it's appearance. The anticipation! Seemingly from one day to the next, the flower has bloomed. It's so beautiful. It smells fantastic. The color is brilliant, captivating. And then it fades and dries up. Its seed falls to the ground.

But that isn't the end of the story! The seed lies dormant until the rains come, the sun shines, and it's time for it to germinate. Then -- impossibly, magically -- a new plant springs up. Exciting! Rebirth. Hope.

Death isn't the end of our story, either. Our Hope is in the Lord. Our Future is with Him in the place He has prepared for us. On that day, He will welcome us to our forever home. There will be no sickness, no death, no tears, no sorrow. And so, no matter how beaten down and sad and worn out I might feel at times during our present hardship, I have a Friend. I know I am not alone. There's always Another with me, standing next to me, holding me up, and urging me on. I have a Hope, and I have a Future.

There's nothing so lost He can't find it. There's nothing so broken He can't mend it. There's nothing so dead He can't breathe life into it. His love never fails.

Psalm 136:1