170,000 Miles Later

Dear Mini-Van,

I can't believe this time has come... the time for us to say goodbye.  You've been a part of our family for 9 years and 170,000 miles.  

I recall speaking to a friend as Michael drove you home from the car dealership 9 years ago. Disappointed at the reality of becoming a mini-van mom (whose other car was a station wagon),  I said to her, "I can't believe we are getting a mini-van."   Her children had recently left the nest. She had recently graduated from her mini-van to a sedan.  Her wise response to me was "enjoy it, someday you will find yourself missing that mini-van."
Now here we are, and I'm saying goodbye.
She was right. I'm missing you.  

I want to say thank you! Thank you for all the memories....

For bringing Josie home from the hospital, announcing the news on your windows with a white shoe polished birth announcement.

Thank you for driving us to preschool, t-ball, ballet, gymnastics, Awanas, church, piano lessons, guitar lessons, snow-skiing, to the lake, to sleep-overs, play dates, and to weekend getaways (those were my favorites).

Thank you for holding everyone one of our Christmas trees securely on your roof, and for all the gifts you've secretly carried. Thank you for having self-control when I wouldn't.  It was smart of you to  hide the Christmas cassettes (yep, the van has a cassette player. It also has a vcr.  yeah, we're that cool), and for not letting me discover them till the day after Thanksgiving.  You know me well, and that I would have started playing them in September had you not "hidden" them from me! I will miss you this year when we are singing, "Just hear those sleigh-bells jingilin, ring ting tinglin too..."

Thank you for carrying us to our first home (in "Nova Scotia").  We're sorry it took us 4.5 years to get the garage cleaned out so you too could move in. Thank you for never grumbling.
We are grateful for all the times you served not only as a van but as a truck... you came through for us at Home Depot, willing to help with all our home improvements without complaint every time!

Thank you for driving us all over California!  You delivered us safely every time to family gatherings, weddings, funerals, celebrations, and to countless events.  We especially loved our trips to Yosemite, Disneyland, Ikea (Disneyland for mommies), Sea World, Monterey, Carmel, Sacramento, Cambria, NewPort Beach, Napa... you were always so good to us, though we weren't always so good to you.

Thank you for carrying us through laughter and tears. For listening to baby scream, kids complain, mommy scream, and mommy complain.  Thank you for letting us say "i'm sorry" again and again and again.

Thank you for never complaining about our loud music, and even louder singing...thank you  for even dancing sometimes.  

Thank you for being a sanctuary, a place of worship, and a vehicle where the Spirit spoke to us and stirred us to grace and truth.

Thank you for cradling us though so many miles, and for becoming a part of many our stories.

We will miss you Mini-Van.

Gratefully,

Denise

We are now the proud owners of a new (to us) Saturn Outlook.   I'm thinking about getting one of those license plate covers that says "If you hit my Saturn I'll kick Uranus."