New Wheels for My Retirement Road

God is Good

My last blog focused on God’s goodness in the midst of me receiving a new diagnosis of Multiple System Atrophy (MSA). I received the news of MSA while traveling to acquire my wheelchair (WC) accessible van. The moving parts to this journey were mind-boggling but God, our good, good God had given me words, not audible or anything but loud and clear in the spirit. I was to move on and trust him for tools, like the van, to push back on the complications of this disease.

Joshua

Nearing the end of his life, Joshua, Moses’ successor and understudy, offered parting words to the Israelites as they settled into their new land. Joshua said, “Not one word of all the good words which the Lord God speaks fails" (Joshua 23). A hint that God was at work in the van situation came from the A&J Mobility salesman’s reaction to my requested specifications: a blue Chrysler Pacifica with adaptive cruise, backup camera, higher roof, fully installed accessibility equipment, and fewer than 40,000 miles. He chuckled at the wish list. Although he had access to a network of vehicles across three states, he said he likely would not find exactly what I had envisioned. But God’s good words never fail.

The Blue Pacifica 

A week later the salesman called Chris and basically said he couldn’t believe it, but they found a used Chrysler Pacifica with a two-year-old BraunAbility ramp package already installed. And even more incredible, it was blue. He said that rarely if ever happens, especially down to the color, but it was hiding in a warehouse waiting to be conditioned and readied for a dealership. God found it. 

The Pick Up

So, arrangements were made to drive to Wisconsin to get this van. The first priority was to load my magnificent 100-lb bubblegum pink WC. Chris needed to wrap it in a tarp in the bed of our truck to keep that beauty and its components dry. The weather the entire week of the van acquisition and mini-vacation was unsettled, hot, and dripping with humidity. The process of loading the truck, driving to Hudson and Eau Claire, Wisconsin and then driving further east to enjoy three days visiting family, relaxing at a “resort” according to Chris, had to be God-assisted. He hates planning and there were so many moving parts to this escapade. 

Loading and Offloading

He probably should have asked for help, but after three hours, including the use of hunting ramps and colorful inspirational vernacular, he secured the WC in the truck. We were getting a late start. Did I say he doesn’t ask for help! We drove the seven hours from Grand Forks to Hudson, WI and went straight to my sister’s place and unloaded the WC into their garage. She and her husband were off doing grandparenting in another state. With the precarious offloading of the heavy WC safely completed the heavens unleashed a torrent of lightning and warm driving rain. It was midnight and we thought, “Good timing.” In moments like this one I marvel at how “good” God continues to be to us with our many flaws and foolish ideas. Jesus said it’s really no marvel because the Father causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. It’s just the way God is (Matthew 5:45).

Hot Chinese Food

The next morning, we left our hotel early and met the Van company salesman at my sister’s place. Chris and the van salesman loaded the WC into their service van, which sped back an hour eastward to Eau Claire to start fitting the chair to my accessible van. We spent the day unloading more items into my sister’s garage for the big transfer next day. We also made final arrangements for our truck. A friend in Grand Forks had just verified his jump-seat flight from Grand Forks to Minneapolis. The airport was only a 30-minute Uber ride from our truck. He would drive the truck home for us in a couple days after our little mini-vacation on the lake. We had the evening to relax and drove through muggy on-off rain to a popular Chinese restaurant in the Twin Cities to have dinner with my youngest. The food was good, time with Seth precious, but the air-conditioning was overwhelmed by the 90-degree heat and humidity, so we melted in that place. Chris thought the Lo Mein and restaurant air were nearly the same temperature and dewpoint.

The Transfer

Day three of our trip was the pinnacle of our great “get a WC van” experience. We would drive off in accessible style. The dealership driver arrived at my sister’s place midmorning in a Dodge Voyager. Our eyebrows furrowed for a moment, noting that the available space for all our gear was smaller than we envisioned. We packed that van in a hurry to stay ahead of the heat, humidity, and possible thunderstorms. The “puzzle packing” exercise of loading items from our truck and the garage into the transfer van was intricately strategic. It didn’t help that Chris had packed several heirloom antique guns in large solid cases that he was handing down to young family members during the Wisconsin part of our WC van journey. On top of that he had fishing gear, extra folding chairs, and all our normal mobility equipment (walker, extra WC) in addition to nonessentials like luggage and medical supplies. I thought later that the neighbors were probably wondering if we were gun runners or something, watching from across the street as strangers transferred gun cases and several black duffle bags with vigor; whisking in and out of a home driveway with urgency. 

A&J Mobility

The ride to A&J Mobility was only an hour and as soon as we entered the refreshing, air-conditioned dealership Chris got a call. It was my niece back in Hudson wondering if the gray truck in the driveway with the driver’s door wide open was ours. Oops. God was watching over us. The folks at A&J are experts in BraunAbility and other systems that make it easy for handicapped individuals to travel. They worked like bees to fit my WC with me in it to the vehicle. We even practiced getting in and out the side door ramp, rolling my WC up the ramp and turning 90 degrees into the passenger seat area. They adjusted an auto-locking receiver on the van floor to fit the bracket bolt on my WC and that was it. We signed papers, settled up, and began a new era of accessible travel on my road in retirement. The Lord is indeed good. 

Good Words Never Fail

The rest of the trip, although fraught with humidity, 90-degree heat, limited fishing time, and incessant isochronous thunderstorms was wonderfully fulfilling. I got my van, Chris finally found the lawn ornament he was looking for at a shop in Wisconsin, and we had treasured visits with family. As a bonus we “broke-in” the van. We made it back to North Dakota late on a Friday night and rested all day Saturday on America’s 250th birthday; relaxing to an exploding sky from our driveway. As alluded to earlier, over three millennia ago a guy named Joshua stood at the threshold of the promised land and declared:

“Behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord God speaks fails" (Joshua 23).

I am a testimony to that promise.