Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Gloria



From far and wide the old farmer had searched for that "old girl,"

when she was finally located,

in some forgotten old shed

he was elated.

With great excitement in his eyes

he made the transaction and

he had her delivered to his house.

Now out in the daylight,

she wasn't that pleasing to the eye.


The squirrels nest in the upholstery,

and the varying degrees of orange and brown on the metal frame

spoke of neglect and something past its prime.

Studying her carefully, he wiped the sweat off his deeply furrowed brow.


He moved her into the comfortable surroundings of his toolshop.

Then slowly and lovingly he began his work.

Finding the time in the rhythm of the seasons,


those weathered hands began to piece her back together.

Gradually, over many winters

she slowly began to resemble her former glory.

One day his little girl approached him,

the sparkle in her eye matching the sparkle on her hand.

"Will you daddy??" she asked

"I would love to" he said.

"Should be ready by then"

With that deadline in place

the father was able to put the finishing touches on his work.

On that special day "Gloria" rumbled to life,

driven by that old farmer dressed in his Sunday best.

With a twinkle in his eye he met his "little princess,"

her image of lace and white reflect off the shiny glass

as the door is opened and she is helped inside.

Together they journeyed down the country roads, through the village,

to the house with the cross and the steeple,

where she was united with her prince

on that glorious special day.

Did Gloria's job end here?

Well, since that day she has made many special journeys for the old farmers family,

most happy, one quite sad.

She has a special place in that family

and the old farmer?

I'm just so honored to have called him dad.







This story is dedicated to my father. He was a farmer by trade but one of the things he was very passionate about was restoring old vehicles....."Gloria" was a 1929 model A and the first car that he fully restored.After this vehicle he went on to restore many others from the same era. He did this up until he passed away six years ago.




9 comments:

Roxanne said...

Karen, you have a gift for writing.
What a great way to honour your father. You brought me to tears as I read about your father and his passion for restoring vehicles.

Shaun and Holly said...

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh....great memories. I am thankful that I got to meet your Daddy.

Great writing Karen!

Jen said...

Absolutely beautiful Karen. Beautifully written, Beatiful memories, Beautiful commeration!
You are a joy of a daughter, and your father would be very honored.
I know your heavenly Father is blessed by you as well.

Amy said...

I love this. Fathers are so very special....what a blessing your's sounds.
Where is "old Gloria" now?

Williams Family Blog said...

Amy,

She's is stored for the winter on the farm. She only comes out for the summer.
All of us get lots of enjoyment out of taking her for a drive :)

Karen

Anonymous said...

I remember Gloria.....beautiful car.... beautiful bride....handsome prince....very proud Dad....Mom too
We were blessed when they asked to come for a visit.....I remember his last visit.........what a blessing!

Anonymous said...

Good job sistah! What a neat way to write your memories! GLad you didn't call her "Betsie".

Anonymous said...

rachel stole my joke. i guess "riding in the toot-toot or beep-beep" didn't rhyme with anything ;) (that's the best i could do)
great job
i give it an A with a sticker

Roxanne said...

Karen - I have just tagged you. You're 'it'. See my blog for details.