09 May 2013

Good-bye, Lifeboat

Today was one of the saddest days of my life. It was also one of the angriest. When I left to go pick our kids up from school, I found an orange sticker stuck on the back windshield of our Ford Aerostar. We haven't been able to drive our van in just over a year due to various mechanical problems that are typical of a vehicle over fifteen years old. The tires were shot, too. That orange sticker was one from the city saying that our van was a blight on the city and needed to be removed from the property and went so far as to say that it needed to be taken completely outside of the city limits.

They don't know the story of our Lifeboat, how it was given to us in our time of need, how it kept us cool when our house a/c died, how it got us out here to Texas twice, and how it took us out of Texas as we evacuated during Hurricane Rita. All of these rescues made our Lifeboat priceless to us and now they wanted to rip it out of our lives. They said "get rid of it or start paying $200 per day for every day that you keep it here". We don't have $200, let alone $200 per day. Our hearts were broken. We had no choice but to have someone come to get our Lifeboat and take it out of our yard and our lives.

They don't know how we promised our Lifeboat that we'd never get rid of it, that it had a home with us forever or how we were trying to find a way to get the money somehow to have it completely overhauled and brought back into service, how we wanted to honor its loyalty and good service to our family. Maybe it sounds silly to most people to have so much emotion over a vehicle, but this one had gone through so much with our family that it was truly a part of the family.

We have neighbors that sit outside smoking, filling our carport up with their blasted smoke, all the while I have COPD and our daughters have asthma. We have people around that let their little kids wander around the neighborhood with nobody looking after them, being perfect bait for kidnappers and perverts. We have people beating their wives while police officers stand in convenience stores scratching off lottery tickets after receiving domestic violence calls. Yeah, right, my sick van sitting in my driveway is somehow a public menace. Tax dollars at work.

Here is a clip of the last time that we'll ever see our Lifeboat.

8 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear about this. It really stinks that the city made you get rid of your van - it doesn't look any worse than our truck and we live in a gated condo complex.

    I have similar memories of our truck. We've put over 200,000 miles on it and I am certain that we wouldn't have been able to do all of the things that we did without it.

    What? We all need brand new cars and to be in debt. Our truck is ugly but it's paid for and I don't owe anyone anything. I love this feeling. At least you have your memories.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, thank goodness they can't take the memories away, too, because they'd probably do that if they could. This has to be the most money-grubbing town that we've ever lived in.

      I am glad that you have a well-loved vehicle with good memories attached. :) It being paid for definitely means a lot in this day and time.

      Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope that you have a great week!

      Delete
  2. So very sorry, my heart hurts for you, and your family. This is not right. Praying for you, and loving you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Denise. It is so hard to look out there and see the empty spot in the driveway where Lifeboat used to be. Thank you for the prayers and love.

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I hope that you have a great week!

      Delete
  3. Not a nice thing to happen and something that has given you and family enormous pleasure.
    I feel so sorry for you.

    Yvonne.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Yvonne. I think that it was a mean thing for the city to do. I can't see that our van was hurting anybody sitting in our own driveway. I'll never understand this town.

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I hope that you have a great week!

      Delete
  4. I'm so sorry, Sis. You've honored her well here. I understand the sentiment you feel. I feel the same way about Mama's Intrepid and know its days are numbered. You've inspired me to do a blog post when the time comes to say goodbye, and I thank you for that. I'm really sorry about the loss of your Lifeboat and pray you don't shed too many tears over her. People can be unbelievably heartless and cruel. (((HUG)))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for understanding, Sis. Some people don't; I think they don't bond with anything, except maybe themselves. In this case "some people" refers to the city government here.

      I hope that you don't ever have to write that good-bye post. I hope that Mama Rose's car lasts forever. But if it doesn't, I am glad to have inspired a post for you. {{{hugs}}}

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I hope that you have a great week, Sis.

      Delete

All comments are moderated to help avoid any problems.

I appreciate your comments and will respond as soon as possible. I respond to all comments here on this blog.

Thank you for visiting and taking the time to comment. Have a blessed day!