Minivan Life
“Never Say Never,” warned a minivan’s bumper as I drove through town the other day. If you have never lived the minivan lifestyle, I can shell the nut for you. A young man dreams about girls and fast cars, gets a girl, makes a family too big and expensive for a fast car, and so he gets a car that provides each child a USB outlet, headphones, and enough hip room to prevent civil war. Hopefully the minivan goes fast enough to get him to Disneyland by bedtime.
The Evans minivan made it to Disneyland by bedtime. I had a pounding headache caused by the tension of driving through traffic on the 101 and probably the guilt of making a pilgrimage to the see the pagan mouse-god of happiness. The family slept well and entered the “Happiest Place on Earth” as the gates opened.
Disney spares no cost when it comes to entertaining its guests. Every penny of profit on the $12 corn dogs appears to go back into the aesthetics of the park. One of the many impressive creations is Grizzly Peak, which looks exactly like a real mountain, except you know it’s not because you can kind of hear the 101 nearby. Nimrod is probably turning in his grave.
Grizzly Peak, Disneyland
I don’t believe it is sinful to appreciate mankind’s ingenuity and creativity. Philipians 4:8 commands us to dwell on lovely and commendable things. Good for Walt Disney and his “Imagineers”. Let the kids eat a corn dog and enjoy the show. I actually enjoyed the last show the most, “World of Color,” especially because my dad helped design its fountains. Go Dad! The show is a multi-sensory experience that was worth the price of admission, if you ask me. But I have to admit I was a little concerned those were sulfur raindrops and was eager to leave. Next stop, Yosemite.
My attitude and headache improved as we arrived in Yosemite National Park. Missing the turn for our AirBnB, I mistakenly drove into a long dark tunnel. If you ever go through the tunnel, be prepared for a swift kick in the heart as God reminds you who the real “Imagineer” is. Tunnel View is worth the price of admission into planet Earth, if you ask me. The moment I saw real mountains and waterfalls, I remembered how great our God is. Grizzly Mountain has nothing on El Capitan.
El Capitan, Yosemite National Park
“For I know that the Lord is great; our Lord is greater than all gods.” Psalm 135
We go through many stages in life, but basically there are two: the stage when you want to go to Disneyland and the stage when you want to go to Yosemite. Our God is great enough and loving enough to be present in each of those places.
At Disneyland, a worker must have spotted the grimace on my face as I was lugging children across the park for one more ride. She said, “You look like you could use a sticker!” That simple, absurd act of generosity meant more to me that day than I can describe. I never expected compassion. “Never say never,” I guess.
Wherever you are on this earth, may you be a sticker-giver and a reminder to everyone who crosses your path of the loving, powerful God who made the mountains and the waterfalls. By grace, he makes his home in passengers of minivans and pilgrims bound for Disneyland.
