While at work this week I received an email from a young man whose grandmother was a customer of ours. In this email, the young man detailed how, while on vacation in 1989, his grandmother had stopped by our car dealership and had purchased a brand new vehicle from us. Twenty-three years later, after her passing, he inherited this vehicle from her. His email was informing us that after all of this time and 651,000 miles, this vehicle was still going strong.
The owner continued to brag in his letter to us about the quality of the car, the care that his grandmother took with this car, and the fact that the car remains in pristine condition regardless of its age and mileage. We have spoken to the customer and he is going to send us some photos, which we promised to put online, making this gift from his grandmother even more special.
While reading this letter to our dealership’s owner, he remarked that we ought to try to purchase the car and place it in our showroom for advertising and publicity. Thinking about this for a second, I had to explain to him that I didn’t think we would be able to buy this car because, to its new owner, this car is priceless. It is not about the car with 651,000 miles, or the condition of the car, it’s the legacy that makes this car truly a classic. The memories that this young man has of his grandmother buying the car, driving the car, and caring for the car all of these years, makes this particular vehicle one of a kind.
Memories that we have of days gone by or of loved ones that have since gone home to be with the Lord hold a particular place in our hearts. Items that may not seem important to some have great importance to us because of the memories that are associated with it. For instance, in my closet at home there hangs an old wooden cane. This cane is not fancy, it is not expensive, in fact it didn’t cost anything. This cane came with an advertisement for a feed store etched into the wood and was given out by the store as an advertising piece many years ago. It is not made of exotic wood, it does not have fancy carving, and it was mass produced. But because this cane belonged to my father, like the car mentioned above, it is priceless.
Memories don’t always come in the form of objects, some of the best memories are just the thoughts that we have when we think back to certain events or certain times in our lives. These memories exist only in the minds of the people that we shared the special occasion with but they are just as powerful and just as precious as the car or the cane.
Each day when we awake we are presented with the opportunity to make memories. It is up to us to decide if these memories are going to be good memories, that our family and friends will remember with fondness many years from now or the bad memories, that we try to clear from our mind before going to sleep each night. The way that we live our lives determines which of these memories will survive us.
Take a moment and think about the memories that you will be making as you go through your day, the way that you live your life may have a deeper impact on those around you than you could ever imagine.
Which type of memory will you make today?
You may also be interested in these posts.
Christmas Memories – The Gift
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like …
Christmas Memories – Oddities
And here I am considering what to do with my Outlander that is 4 years old (paid off) and has 105k on it.
WOW! Sentiment often runs much deeper than money can buy. i want to make good memories, the kind that can be passed on with laughter and maybe even some tears.
Sounds like you have a way to go with your car, Bill.