Vanguard

It's so quiet in the house. I am all alone. The dog has retreated to her bed, after having walked with me down to the church, to deliver cookies for tomorrow's bus ride for the youth. The bread is rising. The fireplace is roaring. The rain is falling. The fog has taken over the horizon. It's a perfect day.

Today is also a very historical day. In less than 25 km, the odometer on the van is set to turn over to 300 000. That means there's been over 180 000 km. travelled safely since we bought the van. It has been a wonderful vehicle. We bought it at a time when we were constantly driving the kids from one thing to another. We have moved several times with the van holding our precious (and not so precious) possessions. The buffet and hutch fit into it without having to leave the back open at all. We have hauled cargo, and children, and groceries, and boxes of all sizes and shapes. It has held our blankets and chairs for us to attend soccer games, volleyball and basketball games. We have landed at plays and picnics. We have used it to drive to new and exciting places on holidays and excursions. We have picked up friends for birthday parties, and dropped them off again when it was all over.

The van has been a privy to conversations about difficult issues. It has listened in while we try to find perspective in our dilemmas. It has heard us singing along to songs on the radio, and eavesdropped on our attempts to teach life lessons. The van has been part of many celebratory trips to the airport to pick up people we love, and a silent reinforcement to the sniffles as we come back from having to see them off again.

The van has been a part of our life for over seven years. I think the van deserves a party!