Dear Camry,

 

I had been quite worried in the last few weeks

Ever since I first felt your tremor

Your irregular heartbeat

Your erratic shaking at idling and upon acceleration

As if you were tired of going any further

 

After all you’ve gone a long way

More than 181,000 miles in almost 11 years

That covers 72 percent of a journey

From planet Earth to her moon

There is much to celebrate

Much to be thankful

All because of your tireless Marathon running

 

You are not my first transporter

But you are my favorite buddy

You are my most enduring aid

Before you I had three

Lasting from a week to a year

 

The forerunner is a Mercury Lynx wagon

Bought two years after I came to the States

It crashed onto a curb on day seven

Damaging the front axle on the left

While I was still learning to shift gears

My bank account seeded with the smallest double digits

Was harboring near the smallest triple digits

Unable to afford the repair cost of $800

So I had to wait for a year and save for my next

But the mechanic bought it for $250

Plus a $25 surprise consolation bonus

As he said fictitiously that I had three children to feed

He was trying to be amusing in his kindness

But it turned quite prophetic in the years to come

 

That summer I accepted the Lord

But not because of my property loss

 

Then came Datsun310 GX

A dark brown 4D AT hatchback

Helping to extend our reach within the Empire State

While lost on the road

Searching for a restaurant

I misjudged and failed to yield

Barely escaped the sideswipe

But the car lost control

Hitting a utility pole

Two lucky persons came out unscathed

Praise the Lord, for real

We were forced to fast for that meal

 

The third is a Mazda GLC

A light brown 4D AT sedan

It took us to as far as NYC and DC

Recording our longest journey then

During a trip home

After climbing Mount Amplesand in Adirondack

It was rear-ended but easily repaired

Driven through my graduation day

Thanks to the able father-in-law

During his first visit to USA

 

But you came to me brand new

Almost eleven years ago

Soon after I moved to New Jersey

 

It would be a sin of omission

If I forget to mention

Even though you were registered as mine

You were claimed with all savings from her

(She worked two years in the lab)

My student stipend was already spent

Every single nickel and dime

 

You bet, the pride was great in that summer night

When you were first driven home

At a cautious 50 MPH needed during your “break-in” period

On the very spacious five-lane Garden State Parkway

As if the whole world was before us

As if we were to cruise freely

 

Oh yes, accident happens more often than we need

In just two weeks still with temporary license plate

You were sideswiped on the front corner

Sustaining only minor damage

A sense of newness was robbed slightly

A sense of thanksgiving was poured in

 

You transported us

To many places beyond walking

Averaging 45 miles a day

Milestones passed one after another

Interesting arrays of digits

Showed up for a mile’s worth on the dashboard

Again and again and again

 

You were there

When baby Sarah and Samuel took their first ride home

Only days after their reporting to the world

 

You accompanied me

To my first preaching call

Negotiating hilly roads for three hours

Many more followed

Including two in two days

Going down south by train and coming back north with you

During one busy thanksgiving weekend

 

You were often the lone witness

Whenever there is a confession

Praising, intercession, and petition

Many an intimate prayer

Were said in your presence

One unforgettable Saturday evening

You and I were busy going to Binghamton

With tears of thanksgiving

Swelling in my eyes

Grateful to the Lord’s leading

 

Recently you must have heard

A lot of Jabez’s prayer from me

“Oh Lord, you would bless me indeed,

And enlarge my territory!

Let your hand be with me,

And keep me from evil.”

Thanks to Bruce Wilkinson’s #1 best seller

 

Thanks to the Lord for you, my dear Camry

I hope the mileage you traveled below

May be remembered high above

 

One thing I admire you openly

Your exhaust pipe

Never needs a single change

After so many a winter

And so long a journey

 

Therefore your tremor alarmed me

I changed the spark plugs

I added complete gas treatment

I had the transmission oil and filter changed

But you were still trembling

Heeding a suggestion given in passing

I treated you to the pricey super unleaded gasoline

(Couldn’t remember the last such treat)

It suddenly worked!!

You calmed down greatly

The 93 Octane gas is purer than the 87

Purer is better

What a truth statement in life

 

I wish you would never retire

After treading the earth

Several rounds, round about

Let’s get through the hot summer

Go see the breathtaking foliage

Trek the next winter snow

And hang on tough

Perhaps until we reach the high moon

Proclaiming the love of the Lord

All the way through

 

Thanks, Camry

My enduring pal

 

Yours affectionately

 

Rumin the driver

(Composed on May 17, 2001)

 

Notes added: Camry retired in early 2003 with almost 200,000 miles on her speedometer.