Counting Blessings II

The second blessing last week is this:

As I have mentioned before, I drive a Ford Windstar minivan. A 1999 minivan, to be exact.

Last  year, right before losing my job, I had been pre-approved for a car loan and was in the process of finding a vehicle. When I lost my job, I contacted the loan company and was informed that I was no longer pre-approved for the loan. After all, one of the conditions of borrowing money is having the ability to pay said loan back. Being unemployed is a deterrent to paying a loan back.

So it was with some trepidation that I had my vehicle inspected last year and, after a small repair, it passed! I could continue driving it, as long as it stayed healthy.

Over the course of the past year, I have had a few other minor repairs including new brakes. These repairs enabled me to continue driving this ancient minivan.

I had the same trepidation when I went in for the inspection again last week. I sat there in my mechanic’s shop and pretended to read my book. Mostly I was watching the inspection. J, the mechanic’s assistant, circled the van, checking the brakes, exhaust, lights, horn, etc. At one point he opened the back hatch door. I almost spoke up to ask him not to that. After all, the sensor doesn’t work very well for that door and, after it is shut, the indicator on my dash shows that the door is open even when it is shut tight and locked. Eventually the light does go off but it is annoying while it is on. Which is why I avoid opening that door. But I stopped myself from telling J to not open the door since pointing out something is wrong with the van is not the best course of action when the van is being inspected.

J finally finished the inspection and I asked how it went. He said that, other than replacing two brake lights, the van passed inspection! It was a miracle!!! Well, pretty amazing at least.

I pointed out to both him and his boss that the van has over 188,000 miles on it and it is, after all, a Ford. They both said that it was running fine and would probably last a long time. I’m not so sure about that because, as I have said, it is Ford.

But it does run and, since I have no way of getting another vehicle, I am very thankful for that and am definitely counting my blessings. It is yet another sign that God is providing for me on a daily basis. And no one needs any more than that in life. Thank God!