I have been intending to sit down to write a thankful post from the past week. All seven of us share a laptop so I am grabbing the opportunity now before someone needs it for school!
My mom and uncle drove up from Texas and spent a few days with us. Mom got sick before they came and didn't feel well the entire time they were here, so that was a bummer. But I was thrilled to have them here again and so very thankful that they made the very long drive. And the reason they drove was that they were bringing a wonderful gift.
Mom had recently had trouble with her car and after a time of researching vehicles, bought a new one. I knew that she had found someone to put a new motor in her old vehicle and just assumed that she traded it in on the new one. But at Christmas she said she wanted to give us her old vehicle, now that it was repaired and in good working condition. What a surprise!
So she and Gerald made the long journey to bring us our second vehicle (which we actually bought from her). It's been ten years since we've had two cars. We did not need two vehicles in Canada due to living in a very pedestrian-oriented community. There were only a few times when we had to rent a second car, in the event that we needed to have more people riding with us than just our family of seven.
Of course, that has changed being back in the States and in a non-pedestrian culture. It's kind of sad for us in a way and one of the biggest adjustments, but we are adapting and it has been part of the journey and adventure to try to make one vehicle work. Bob and I have been having 10 "mini dates" every week whenever I drove him to and from work. I have enjoyed listening to several audio books as I taxi him and everyone else to their necessary destinations.
It has been an adjustment (although this one won't take too long, I think) to realize I don't have to run him to work in the mornings or be ready to go and get him in the evenings. What a great freedom having a second vehicle is giving us.
Thank you to Uncle Gerald for giving up your time and making the effort to do all the driving on the way up. And thank you to Mom for your continuous generosity and sharing. I am thankful, thankful, thankful!!! xo
