A broken down car, & a cup of humility.

our sick Quest

Our one and only car has been out of commission this whole week. It broke down on my way to church this past Saturday, and luckily I made it to the parking lot. I had to have it towed home, and I count my blessings for having two sweet young women keep me company while waiting for the tow.

Some of you may ask..."How do you do it with just one car?" Well, my answer is very simple, "very easily," I may say. We have managed quite well with one car since moving to the east. There are some of us who go stir crazy with having just the one car. Can you imagine how those would react if there one and only car broke down? I think they would be freaking out!

Unless you've been in our shoes you would appreciate how it feels to be carless with four kids. We have been through so much in the past 17 years with having owned nine cars, and each time one of them broke down it has taught us to be more patient, but most of all humble.

Here are just a few cars from our past who have caused us a bit of trouble...

Our 1990 Volvo 

Jon's Mazda 626 

My 1988 Volvo-I miss her sooooo much!

The  2000 eggplant Plymouth voyager. Love that it gave great gas mileage and took ethynol gas too! 

To tell you the truth, sometimes it's a blessing when you are carless. You spend a lot of time in your own home, and also do a lot of walking on God's green earth. It really makes you appreciate all that you have, and it even helps you save money. We are not constantly filling the car up all the time, or running it to the ground by traveling around so much. Sometimes I wish I lived somewhere where public transportation was just around the corner. We didn't own a car when I was pregnant with my first, and living at The Covey apartments downtown in Salt Lake back in '95 was convenient for us to getting around on foot. There were times when I had to take the bus to work, and I didn't mind. All the walking around caused me to have a 'natural' childbirth without any drugs, and it also kept me fit afterwards. There are some of us who need a car to go to work, but our attitude is a good one when it comes to taking the bus, and/or having to ride a bike to work.

We have learned a lot throughout the years of having patience when it comes to fixing cars, and I am grateful that I have a mechanically inclined husband who has a brother, and a father he can call upon to ask questions. His dad is a mechanical engineer so throughout his childhood he, and his brothers would hover over their dad while he was fixing cars, and that is how they learned.

The bus system in New Jersey is not the greatest, and there are very few who are willing to 'drive us' around. Everything, and everyone seems so rushed here in Jersey, and to tell you the truth I'm not too fond of it. (Funny how when we drive into New York City, or Philly that doesn't seem to bother me as much.) We are grateful for those who have offered, and I have called upon them for help. My husband will ride his bike to work being that it is only a 30 minute bike ride. He doesn't curse, whine, or allow having car problems cause contention in our home. Having the car broken down during inclement weather is no picnic, but we always manage ways around that. We are lucky to have convenient stores nearby within walking distance, and our local library is a few blocks away. We have a bike trail down the street, and since we are feeling much better, I can bundle Noah up, and go for longs walks with him down the trail.

The Lord has been good to us for the past 17 years of our married life when it comes to cars. I am grateful for all the trials that we have gone through when one of our past cars have broken down. We have endless stories of how we have broken down in Spokaine, Montana, Texas, and the list goes on. Heavenly Father has blessed my husband with patience, knowledge, and the talent for fixing cars. He has blessed us with great neighbors, and a 'few good friends' who are willing to help us in times of need. I am thankful for the stress that Heavenly Father alleviates in times like this. I don't allow it to affect me, or my family. We still managed to get to church this past Sunday, and will not allow any negative worldly thing, (i.e. car) allow to get in the way of my eternal happiness. I thank the Lord for blessing me with healthy children that don't mind walking, and for having a healthy 40 year old body which still has a lot of stamina!  I am also extremely grateful for our car breaking down during a mild winter.

Oh yeah...my husband is thankful for that!!

Bottom line is we don't need two cars. We've always managed with just one. Sierra will be legally driving soon, and there is no need for her to get her own vehicle. My husband and I both worked for our cars, and Sierra is in no rush. She is humble and patient, and is willing to drive our car when needed. When the time is right we can help her in buying her own little car when she is off to college.

We also realized a long time ago that it's not worth stressing over a broken down vehicle. In the end they always get fixed, and we will have all these funny stories to tell our children, and future posterity about all the cars that have broken down, and they will be a good laugh!