Louise

He is taking me away for the weekend so that I can catch my breath; this big hearted man with his 20 year old work boots tells me as prepares to go outside and build me that shelf I’ve been wanting in the laundry room. I’ve barely looked into his sweet blue eyes for weeks now but this morning we both took off to handle some unexpected business.  So much has happened this week and continues to happen that it seems it’s never a good time to get away but he made a plan and I’m so thankful that he did.

 

As he gets up to leave the room I say, “What about Louise?” he stops letting go of the door knob to return to the end of the bed and begins to tell me his progress with the 1966 Chevelle project; if there is one thing this man loves to do---it’s talk about Louise. The guy who is redoing the body should come at the end of the month and take it off the frame and then he tells me that he will begin to work on the frame itself; he then stops in mid-thought to look at me. “I know”, I say; and we both laugh as I tell him I understand the frame will remain in the garage and that I can’t park my car in there, still. This has been an ongoing discussion between us as I remind him often that he promised me when we bought this house that I would be able to park in the garage—something that eludes me still due to our decision to go get Louise who had been parked at his mom’s house for years. But I wouldn’t give anything for the memories of that long cold trip to Arkansas to go get her. I think that’s the most we’ve ever laughed together and it still brings a smile to my face.

 

Our conversation continued and I asked him how he will feel when she’s done. There was a long pause causing me to watch him thinking and then he said, “The first time I turn the engine over when she’s completely done is going to be a HUGE deal and very emotional for me.” His words begin to build with meaning and his eyes tear as he stopped before continuing, “I’ve thought about this car for 20 years, imagined bringing her back to her original self and dreamed of the day when she’d be exactly what I remember when I was five years old and riding it her with my grandparents.” The whole room paused as he thought and then added, “The boys have each made suggestions to me that I would have never thought about on my own but that will add something new so their input will be in the car as well making it even more special to me.” We talked a bit more about how long it might take and some interior ideas the shop had given him about going with leather and adding creative stitching to make the seats standout. As I half listened to the specifics of it all my eyes kept admiring those beautiful eyes of his and my heart sat down to ponder how much this car means to him.

 

I’ve barely looked into his sweet blue eyes for weeks now as life has pulled us in a million directions. We’ve not had a casual conversation all year---most of what we’ve had to discuss has been so hard and heavy. But not today! One quick question about his favorite subject and I was pulled into a real moment with the man I’ve been in love with for decades. His idea of going away this weekend is becoming more and more exciting. We need this break! Today he has made me realize that life needs to go on even when the journey gets hard. I’m glad he’s still a part of my journey and his grandparents would be so proud of him and his project.

 

Tag, you’re it! I challenge you to ask a meaningful question to at least one person in your life today.