1967 VW Beetle: A Story of Hope

How are you guys hanging in there this holiday season? I personally love the insanity of it all, but it’s a lot. Although I’m someone who prides herself on being on top of things (i.e. it’s how I manage my anxiety), even I can attest that no amount of preparation or productivity can keep up with Christmas madness. Every day I’m choosing between packing for our trip, playing with the kids in the snow, making salt dough handprint ornaments, or folding laundry. Along with 4.7 million other options of what to do with my time. God forbid we don’t get around to making gingerbread houses!

I’ve loved sharing PBS episodes of Keep It Close on this blog because it’s always an excellent opportunity for reflection. To slow down, put aside the hustle and bustle, and take six minutes to be entertained, learn, and feel inspired. I, for one, could use all of those things in my life right about now.

As a reminder, this PBS series highlight veterans who have a special object that they used or took with them while deployed, which holds important meaning to this day. Today’s new episode highlights Patricia Harris, who recalls her time in the Army as a combination of horror, madness, and resilience. While stationed in Germany, she experienced sexual harassment on active duty. Once home from her deployment, the one place she found solace was in her red 1967 VW Beetle. The car came to symbolize freedom and peace for her and gave her strength to persevere — and motivated her to assist fellow veterans in need of support. When Harris was deployed to Desert Shield/Desert Storm, she carried a toy replica of the VW bug in her backpack, even taking it with her during combat. Today the VW bug toy is her constant reminder of hope.

I hope you enjoy by watching it HERE. Merry almost Christmas, all!