I have joined Emily’s* 30 Day Challenge:

I’m challenging myself to post a picture every day during the month of November (30 Days To Be Thankful For) and to add a caption as to why I am thankful. — Emily

Day 30:  I’m thankful for a 1952 pickup truck.

My father bought the blue International in 1953 and owned it until the year before he died.  In 1959 he drove the pickup a thousand miles, over mountain roads in the winter to move our family back to his hometown.  We squeezed into the cab–my parents, me (a preschooler), and my brother (barely a year old)–and packed all our belongings in the back of the truck.  My father had built a carrier/bed that attached above the seat by the back window of the cab, where my brother could sleep.  (This was before the days of seat belts or car seats for children.)

I asked my father why they moved back to his hometown.  He said that they thought the schools would be better here in the Midwest.  Parents will do a lot, sacrifice a lot for their children.

The International continued to be a work horse over the years.  Dad loaded bags of livestock feed,  carried carpentry tools, and hauled lumber in the bed of the truck.  It survived ice storms and hail, mud roads, and a collision with a steer.  One summer the back was enclosed and became a “camper” for overnight fishing trips.

Many people in our small Midwest town recognized Dad’s blue truck, even if they didn’t know my father.  When he retired, he continued working as a carpenter and handyman around town.  The passenger seat and floor were mounded with tools, and the truck bed rattled with lumber and saw horses.  People would tell me, “I see your dad’s working on Mrs. Smith’s house–saw the truck there.”

My father drove the truck less and less as he took fewer carpentry jobs, but he delighted in washing and decorating the International for 4th of July parades.

When driving was no longer a safe option for my father, the truck was parked one last time.  He gave the truck to my brother the year before he died.

Last night we loaded (pushed, pulled, and pleaded) the blue International onto a car trailer.  My brother, the baby who rode 1000 miles in the cab of the truck (and is now married and the father of teenagers) will take the truck one final 500 mile trip to his home, where it will be stored and repaired.

My father was happiest when he was working, building or repairing. The International was his companion for the many decades of his working life.  Dad would be pleased to know the truck will be restored.

Make sure you don’t take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of “sacrifice”—that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets.   Hebrews 13:16   The Message.

I imagine the next verse refers to relationships rather than carpentry, but I think that Jesus might have a tender heart toward carpenters who keep things in repair.

And that’s about it, friends. Be cheerful. Keep things in good repair. Keep your spirits up. Think in harmony. Be agreeable. Do all that, and the God of love and peace will be with you for sure.   2 Corinthians 13:11,12   The Message

See Thankful 30 page for every day’s entry.

* name changed

linking with Jennifer Dukes Lee