The Vessel

It's a plain Jane 2007 Toyota Corolla. All it has is air-conditioning and a CD player. It even has window cranks. The driver side front door doesn't "catch" anymore so you'd better hold onto it when opening or the car next to you will feel it. And I love it. It's just small enough to feel like you're zooming in and out of traffic on an important mission instead of doing errands around town. It's the first car that I've bought that's not a conservative color. It's a nice warm red. Not candy-apple high school red, just red.

My husband and I have taken it on mini-adventures all around New England. It's been to New York state multiple times. It's been to Minnesota (24 hours away from our home) about four times now. And it's been all over Vermont and New Hampshire for years.

I think it's my favorite car since we've been married which has been just a tad over thirty years. It's sturdy, reliable, and simple. It fits well.

I can see taking it north to Canada to explore the beauty of that generous country. I can also see taking it southwest to the beaches in Mexico. Either one would be fine with me.

Even though it's a friendly, happy little car, I would leave it home for a chance to spend a summer driving around Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, or France. I would take lots of pictures of the countryside and the regular people who live in these places. I would love to sit and drink tea or coffee and nibble whatever kind of bread or scone or biscuit that was offered and listen to the people talk to one another. My traveling journal would continually be in my hand, I think. I would long for a greater vocabulary to describe the richness and beauty of the people and countries.

I think it would make me long for heaven. There are moments, tastes of blissful longing when I see a picture of open fields and golden summer light. The perfectness of a landscape with the summer sounds of grasshoppers, crickets, or cicadas squeeze my heart inside my chest with a longing so intense that the tears prick my eyes with a fierce, "if only." Truly, truly creation reflects it's Maker. Beautiful, grand, unexplainable, perfection. Some day.

It would be fun to drive a small European car. To try to get the feel of it as we explore the back roads and whatever comes along. Which countries drive on the left side of the road? That would take me awhile to get used to. In fact, there would probably be a couple of near head-on collisions as my mind (and the car) drifted from the present to the other ideas that pop into my head continually.

Still, I am content with my Corolla and the little previews of heaven here in the slice of the world called New England. For now.