god meets girl: prayer and the art of volkswagen maintenance

god meets girl

19.1.05

prayer and the art of volkswagen maintenance

prayer and the art of volkswagen maintenance is the title of a book written by the author of the book i am currently reading. i have not read the book, though i must say that i have never understood the meaning of a sentence like i have this one. for my washingtonian readers, you understand this completely. for those elsewhere in the country, i shall try my hardest to explain without complaining. or crying.

i own (or, well, i own 2/3 of) a 1996 volkswagen golf gl. her name is lola and she's a very cute, black golf. i actually bought a white one first, but traded him in for her. she lured me with her sunroof, a necessity for the california sun. i still have the surf racks on...though i haven't surfed since leaving santa cruz.

i had no problems the first two years while under warranty. now, well, here's my list:

current problems:

-a faulty air mass intake sensor. i hear this is rarer for 96's than for the newer models, but i guess i'm just lucky. it was to be replaced today, but the part didn't come in and the shop neglected to tell me that as i dropped it off this morning. i learned of this fact from a voicemail left on my work number last night.
-a stereo that ate my tape of modest mouse in september. "Er 8", it tells me.
-a clutch that 'slips' when i move the stick into gear.
-a seat that gives me a complex because the foam has disintegrated or something. again, aparently a common problem with vws.
-the sad spot where my antenna used to be, before the carwash on glebe unsympathetically broke it off.
-a noise that is sounding a lot like the ups-truck noise my rabbit (the previous volkswagen) used to have....
-the chip in the wheel cover where she took me skiing last winter outside of karl's house.
-the scratch from the bike rack...when...i think i'll start crying now.

i cry partly because i can't believe my car has this many problems, but partly because each scratch, dent and chip reminds me of different memories. and thanks be to God, good memories and not the times of utter fear that engulfed me at the moment. times like sitting on 295 outside of richmond and cramming camping equipment from one car into another and squishing with a pug named winston while the folks in the richmond pep boys put the - um - wheel back on my car. or hearing karl laugh at me and try to teach me how to drive in snow (a failed attempt, even to this day).

you see, for all the problems my car has (and this isn't even close to a complete list), i have to laugh. it is still running. God is faithful to provide great friends with functioning cars to help when i need it, even if it's just to take me to coldstone. And He is faithful to - every time - provide the money to fix my car when it is necessary. And, perhaps most importantly, He has kept me safe.

i understand prayer because of my volkswagen.

posted by Paige @ 10:27 AM

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