There are a few goals that a family set, work on and achieve to make the family life better and our family has few major ones on that list. Buying a family car was not really on the priority list for a long time but here I am detailing how we ended up buying our first family car.

Josiah and I did not grow up in a family with a private vehicle to take us around and that made us very familiar to commuting. And while I am not a big fan of commuting around Metro Manila, we have decided a family car can wait. But then the Covid-19 outbreak and the pandemic happened, deciding to get pregnant and have an infant at a crucial time. We were very blessed to have family (my in-laws) drive us to the clinic every month for the baby’s check-up. But there were times that Dane, my brother-in-law, would take a leave from work just to drive us back and forth. That was when we decided for Josiah to learn how to drive and get a driver’s license – that way we can borrow his brother’s car when we need to. We were are toying with the idea of buying a car without having to bleed our savings dry or add up to our monthly expenses with car payments. We knew if we would buy a brand new car, we won’t be able to afford the ones we liked and we might compromised to a car that would not fit our needs. And if we buy a second-hand car, it would not sit comfortably with us if we do not know if the car is in good condition or not.

Do you believe that that waiting is also an answer to a prayer? We’ve prayed so hard and so long for us to buy a car. Every time we would come to a final decision, it always felt rushed and we would not be in peace. And so we would halt our plans because we are one of those who don’t make rushed decisions for the big stuff.

Nearly a month after Josiah got his driver’s license and back-and-forth conversation of buying a car of our own, Dane casually shared that his friend was selling his car for an upgrade. We found out the car’s details and that the selling-price was within the range we were comfortable to dig into our savings. Dane also knew the way his friend drives and cared for the car and since he also has a close friend who knows about cars, they helped check the condition of it for us. It was not a difficult decision to make.

It was a Sunday that Josiah saw and test drove the car and the same day that we were given the thumbs-up from Dane’s friend – the following Sunday, the car was ours. And today marks the full year the car we call “Lio” has became a part of our family.

We have had several road trips, long drives and car campings with it on top of running our errands and just getting in to go out without having to worry about Covid or even dressing TBH. Up to this day, we have not regretted buying the car more for our sanity and peace of mind than the convenience of getting one. We have always been grateful that God has provided us with it people he channeled His blessings with, without hiccups, doubts and regrets, and no accompanying debt to pay.

I read somewhere that “the beautiful blessings are the unexpected ones“.