If you’ve ever spent a long time in a certain situation, moving on into a new chapter of your life isn’t easy.

Take buying a new car. Perhaps you know it’s time. Your old car just isn’t suitable for you anymore, or you’ve got your eye on a better model. You know it’s time to move on. But that doesn’t make it any less difficult to do so.

You’ve made memories in that car. Yes, you often just used it to take you to and from work. But you also shared moments with your loved ones on the road. You travelled to exciting destinations. That car helped you to live out some of the best moments of your life.

Many of us may have felt tempted to pass on some sort of note to the car’s new owner, aside from just a “look after her, she’s been good to me.” And a lengthy note is exactly what Kevin Duke, of Kentucky, discovered in the glovebox of the new car he bought for his daughter.

He had been inspecting the car while his daughter was away, when he found an envelope addressed to the car’s new owner. It said: “Important Info Inside.”

Taking to Facebook to tell his story, Kevin explained:

“Well, yesterday I’m in it tinkering around and I open this storage compartment on top of the dash (which I’ve opened a half dozen times already). This time I notice a rubber mat in the bottom of it and for whatever reason, I pull it out. To my surprise, I find this envelope with this letter inside. I won’t lie, I shed a few tears.”

The dad then posted photos of the whole letter, which had been written by hand, for the internet to read. It doesn’t take long to see why this person’s story left Kevin reaching for the tissues.

The letter began:

“To the person that gets this car, I just wanted to let you know what a special vehicle you’ve bought. This car belonged to my mom. She passed away Feb. 25, 2015 in a house fire along with my 6 year old daughter and my aunt. The last time my mom drove this car was the day she left us. Her and my daughter went out shopping and got their hair cut.”

Understandably, the anonymous writer was reluctant to part with the car, but she had no choice but to do so. She explained:

“This car holds a lot of special memories for me. My home and everything in it is gone, this car is all that I had left to touch.”

Apparently, after a mix-up with paperwork, the car hadn’t been paid off by insurance. The note’s author spoke of her pain to have to give up her “last link” to her mom after everything she had already lost.

Though the note started off sadly, the author continued on a lighter nostalgic note. She said:

“I’m not mad at you. I hope this car is the best car you’ve ever owned. I hope it runs for 100 more years. I hope the backseat is filled with kids and toys and random things. My family filled this car with lots of love and other sticky things. We took road trips, blared 80’s and country music and rolled the windows down. I’ve changed more diapers in the backseat than I can count. There’s probably a sucker stick or a crayon hidden somewhere that belonged to my baby. Maybe an entire chicken nugget. HA!”

Anyone who’s ever owned a car will understand this. Your car becomes your temporary home; you make it your own with music, love, and laughter (and the grosser things, like diaper changes!).

The note continued:

“I don’t know if you’ll see it but there may be a dirty spot on the dash. My daughter and I would pretend to go on adventures while we sat in the driveway and she always put her feet there. The dent on the rear drivers side fender and the dent in the passenger side door are where my daughter learned to ride…and crash…her bike a few months before her death.”

It’s clear that this note was written by a grieving mom with a heart full of emotion. She continued her story, saying:

“I know it’s just a car to you, but to me it’s so much more. Life happened in this car. Love, joy and adventure was had in this car. So now that it’s yours, please remember it isn’t just a car. It’s a memory. This car with all its quirks is the last piece of my family. Be nice to it. Play it a country song. Big Green Tractor was my daughter’s favorite song ever, or some Lynyrd Skynyrd Freebird. That song meant so much to us that I played it at their funerals.”

The anonymous author then let the new driver know that they would never be alone, saying they would be riding with “my angels”. She encouraged the new owner to talk to them, and shared the name of the car: Sylvia. Apparently, it was named after Dr. Hook’s “Sylvia’s Mother”, which came on the radio on the family’s first day of riding around in the author’s mom’s new car.

The author finished off with a request. Heartbreakingly, she begged the new owner to try and find her if they ever wanted to sell Sylvia. She added:

“I just paid for 3 funerals, I can’t afford to buy it right now, but hopefully I’ll be in a better financial situation if you decide later that she’s just not right for you anymore. Be blessed, be happy, live and love like we did. I wish you and Sylvia the best!”

The beautiful letter was picked up by numerous news outlets, including Love What Matters, and was shared widely across the internet. Hopefully Kevin’s daughter gets just as much enjoyment out of her new car as the previous owner did – and the anonymous author of the letter can be reunited with her Sylvia in the future.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

https://www.facebook.com/lovewhatreallymatters/posts/1396564710365923

Source: Facebook/ Love What Matters, Parenting Isn’t Easy, Facebook/ Kevin Duke