Memorial Day weekend we had the chance to drive to Kentucky to visit my MIL.  I enjoy road trips with my husband as it provides concentrated time to talk, dream, listen to music, and plan for the future.  We’ve made several important decisions while traveling through the flat corn fields of Illinois between Chicago and Kentucky.

This trip we watched cars passing by and talked about the colors, the style, and what would be fun to drive.  Dreaming is fun, especially when the vehicles you own are nine and ten years old and will not be replaced any time soon.  My husband’s car needs work, and we’ve been waiting for a part to come in. This meant taking my ten year old Honda CRV that provides an opportunity for the body to feel every bump in the road.  My husband’s car is the preferred mode of transportation for road trips because it has a much smoother ride, sits lower to the ground, and hugs the road.   I have to lovingly remind him that my car doesn’t handle the same way around quick turns, and we’ll experience the sensation of being on two wheels instead of four.  And… a four cylinder vehicle doesn’t like to accelerate to eighty miles an hour without a few moans and groans.

I love this little red car, and I’m not ready for a trade-in.  I taught my daughters how to drive in it and stuffed it with every item my eldest daughter owned as she headed off to college.  My family has packed it to the roof with camping gear and memories.  And, I brought my first grandson home from the hospital in it.

Simplifying life, not seeking out the shiny and new, and a personal desire to be satisfied is something I have been praying for recently.  This road trip helped me talk to my husband about being grateful for all God has provided - the gift of family and the memories we have shared in a little red car, even if road trips are a bit bumpy.