Give Thanks...For Our Van And The Friend Who Made It Happen

Last week I blogged about having to give up on a trusted car, something that's been in our family for more than a decade. At the same time, we decided to let go of another vehicle. This one on which we relied for not only transportation of people, but of furniture, groceries, top soil, and numerous yard and garage sale bargains.

And now, it belongs to another.

We did, however, keep it in the family.

Years ago, around 2009 another trusted van we owned started to fall apart. Almost as a joke, I posted on Facebook that it would cost more to fix than it was worth. A good friend called me after seeing my post. "Hey, you looking for a van?" he asked. "Yeah, I guess we are."

I should say that these words are most likely not the exact conversation we had. It's been more than a decade, after all...

"We just got a new van and we were wondering if you'd like to buy ours." He told me the make and model and I think I laughed. I told him there was no way we could afford it. "How much do can you spend?" I told him we had some savings.

"Okay--we'll take that for it."

Shock. He was cutting the value of the van by 2/3. I wanted to make sure he was okay letting it go for that price. He said he was. We drove over and picked it up. It served our family so well. We'd by another Toyota Sienna in a heartbeat, but we no longer have need to take six-eight people on family vacations to California and Washington State. We no longer need--at the time--the mind-blowing technology of a DVD player and screen installed for the kids to watch movies. We no longer need three rows of seating or enough room to haul a full-size upright freezer from Brigham City to our house. 

Even though we no longer need these things, we miss them. We got a new car, newer, fewer miles, more mind-blowing technology. But we'll always be thankful for the van and my friend who let it go for a loss.

We passed it down to our son. They have a toddler and need something they can count on. We were happy to do it and we took a loss on it as well, not as big as my friend, but we tried to help them out. If you need to move several people, I recommend the Sienna. It drives wonderfully, hauls like a truck, and it's just a wonderful van. I'm thankful it served us so well for all those years. 

Give Thanks...Reliable Transportation

 I came across a tweet today...just a random message in my timeline. A father sent out a message for help. His family, returning home to California, had car troubles. They were stranded with a broken-down van. The father asked if anyone was near Baker, California, could they give his family a lift into town until he reached them.

That thought, as I read the message, struck fear in me.

Last week we traveled that same road, around the same of day. We didn't know this when we scheduled the trip but we would be traveling during an unprecedented heat wave. When we drove across the desert the temperature registered 119˚ driving through Baker and Barstow. I prayed for the father and his family. Thankfully, the California Highway Patrol picked up the family and took them into town.

I'm so grateful for reliable transportation.

Our van is (considering the 2022 models come out in a few months...) fifteen years old. Before we moved, we drove it so infrequently...we're making up for it now. The van was practically gifted to us by an amazing friend about ten years ago. I don't know what we'd have done without that van.

As we drove to and from California, we saw cars pulled over--hopefully, it wasn't because of car problems, but I suspect some were. I hope people came to their assistance the way the police did for that man's family...the way our friend did for us years ago. Because of that van--in part--we were able to visit family, watch my daughter perform at a national event, helped my son connect with internet friends he'd never met, and create memories for the entire family. And saved us from breaking down in the desert. 

Yes...I'm so grateful for reliable transportation.