Dear Ones,
I know we aren’t supposed to care too much about “stuff,” and we don’t want to store up treasures here on earth…Jesus preached that, I’ve preached that, I’ve TRIED to live that…but last month I said goodbye to a treasure here on earth that I’m really, really going to miss!
Last month I sang Dolly’s “I Will Always Love You” to it as I prepared to take my 2013 Honda CR-V to that place on Rt. 8 that will buy any car.
But this wasn’t just ANY car!
This was the first car that NEVER left me stranded! And two of those other cars were new, whereas this baby had 60K+ miles on it when I got her! I cried in that car and laughed in that car- by myself and with others. It took people to the hospital when they were ill and took them home when they were well. It took me to many funeral processions and weddings. My mom was still living when I bought it, and she LOVED it—she said it was the most luxurious vehicle we ever owned. (She had a lot of Ford Pintos, so that might explain why a used SUV was so special.)
This car helped nurture relationships through sacred conversations on drives, and it delivered packages to friends and neighbors who couldn’t get out during the pandemic. That car made my mom feel “fancy.”
Maybe you understand some of the grief I felt, saying goodbye to “just” a car. I have walked alongside dear ones who have experienced genuine grief when moving from the home where they raised their children or cared for their parent. Likewise, when friends have moved from a house to an apartment, or a house to a personal care home—it is hard to say goodbye to sacred mementos and treasured keepsakes from a life of love.
My friend told me that when he has to part with a meaningful object, he says a prayer of thanks for the person who made it and for the memories surrounding it, and then “releases it with love.”
This did help with my car. And what helped even more was knowing that no matter what goodbyes and transitions we face, we won’t face them alone. Our God, the giver of all and only good things, stands alongside us as we sing “Vaya Con Dios” to our beloved cars, first cellphones, and Cabbage Patch Dolls.
Love,
Pastor Ing