By G. E.
Shuman
I want to use this column to just
express my thanks to all the readers who encouraged me in my recent, great
personal adventure of driving my 1970 Volkswagen Beetle, “Babi” all the way up
here to Vermont from her previous home in Florida. That trip was exciting, nerve-wracking, and
anything but a sure thing for me, as I made my way north, over the course of
three long days. I have shared most of
that with you in previous columns, so I won’t go over it all again now.
What I would like to do is just tell
you all how wonderful it has been when meeting readers on the street, in
restaurants, and especially at Babi’s first car show recently, and having them
talk to me about the car. It seems that
nearly everyone has a Volkswagen Beetle story from somewhere in their
past. They either have owned one, or
have known several people who have. The
stories are usually about the love-hate relationship people had with those
cars. They loved the price and
dependability of the car, and hated the limited room. They loved the great
winter traction the car provided, and hated the very poor excuse for a heater
that they had. In any case, whatever
your VW past is, I’m pretty sure you had one, in one form or another. I thank
you for sharing your stories with me, and I hope you will continue to do so.
Babi’s biggest fan, I believe, is
likely also her smallest fan. This
person is one of my very favorite people in the entire world, and one I just
love sharing the car with. She is my amazing
five year old granddaughter, Zoe. From the very first time Zoe saw the car, this
child has just beamed with smiles every time she gets into it. Last Saturday’s car show was no
exception. She and her family came to
the show, and she spent much of her time there, in the car, playing with the
old-fashioned knobs and switches, and smiling some of her biggest smiles. The first time Zoe sat in the car, shortly
after I arrived in Vermont with it, she said, through one of those fantastic
smiles: “This is a ‘MY’ sized car.” That
simple statement seemed pretty profound to me. I wondered how many five year
olds are really aware of how large something like a car is. Let me tell you, THIS five year old is aware
of everything!
Readers, you know that, over the
years, I have shared a lot of things with you, including my feelings, my
opinions, and my faith. I feel the need for you to hear, now, what I am about
to say. My life, especially my adult life, has brought me many fantastic,
God-given blessings, including a wonderful wife, five amazing children, three
great sons-in-law, (so far), and twelve perfect grandchildren, (also, so far)
and I just need to share that fact with you.
Here’s where I believe those gifts
came from. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning.” (James, 1:17. Holy Bible.) To me, that really says it all. By that
definition of a gift, even Babi is one. Wow!
If you’d like to meet Babi, she is a
member of the Vermont Kustom Klassics Car Club, and their next show that she
will be in will be at Bond Auto in South Barre, Saturday, July 9th,
from 5-8 pm. The show is in support of
the Make A Wish Foundation, and I’d love to see you there. You know, Babi can’t sign autographs, but her
biggest fan can. If you’re very lucky,
maybe you can meet her. She’ll be the
adorable five year old girl, smiling from ear to ear, sitting in the
“Zoe-sized” car.
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