Hello from beautiful Montana:
This weekend we have been at a car show and rally. It was fun to meet other people who had restored classic cars and parade around town with them. I thought you would enjoy hearing from my husband, Dwain, how he came to get his dream car- A 1966 Pontiac GTO, or GOAT as the “guys” like to say.
“I was in in the summer of 1977 and was driving down the street in a government vehicle when I saw the car on a GM dealer lot. I went in to talk to them and it just so happened that the guy who had owned it from day one was in the dealership. He was an old retired AF Colonel who had bought matching GTOs for himself and his wife at the same time. He was upgrading to a new vehicle and I paid $2400 for it and then called Judy and told her that my midlife crisis had just been solved and I was driving home in this gem.
Unless we needed it for transportation, it was stored in the garage for 26 years. I always read car books and wanted to restore the GTO but could never justify the expense involved when we had such a large family and so many expenses. I didn’t feel resentful; it is just the way it was.
But, when Andy was in high school and out of soccer, we started working on it together. He wasn’t as interested as I had hoped he would be, but we enjoyed spending time together.
After piddling around for a couple of years squeaking out money to buy little parts and get some things done half way, I made a decision that was hard for me to make. I decided it was my turn to do something I loved.
I have always put other people’s needs before mine and assumed that was what needed to be done. But the whole family, especially Judy, kept encouraging me to do what I wanted to for a change and so I did.”
I want the family to know that patience is a virtue and that dreams aren’t always accomplished quickly. Sometimes you have to wait for years, but don’t ever give up and always be in the process of learning how your dream will look and can best be fulfilled.
This is an excerpt from Dwain C. Wright’s memoir called “Love, Dad — A series of letters, notes and essays to my family about my life and my wishes, hopes and dreams for yours”
Keywords: Pontiac, GTO, Dad, car,dream, car show, family, dream,
