Our ‘Tax Refund’

It was our first spring as a married couple. We were looking forward to many things in our new life together.

One thing we were both passionate about was the water.  We loved being near it, on it, around it.  Therefore we both had a dream of owning a boat.  It was something we talked about when we were just dating. 

That year we were getting a big tax refund.  We decided together to use that money to buy a boat.  We did not want to be in debt for a ‘toy’.  We looked at several boats. We decided on an oldie but a goodie. 

We unofficially named her ‘Tax Refund’.

The first several years we were married, we spent our summer weekends & even some weeknights on the lake just down the road from us. Lots of wonderful memories were made.  Memories of good times, laughter & smiles.  Memories of lots sunshine & occasional thunderstorms.  Of sunsets, rainbows & fireworks.  We shared picnics & sunscreen. We road around in circles towing family & friends on skis, wake boards & innertubes.  We taught friends to water ski. Good times were had by all. 

Then our daughter was born.  She may have slowed us down a bit, but we still spent as much time as we could on our lake.  For the first few years of her life she always fell asleep with the purr of the engine.  Therefore she had many naps on the floor of our boat.  And we would cruise slowly around the shoreline, gazing at houses, dreaming someday we would live on the water. Then, sure enough as soon as we turned the engine off, she would wake up. 

Then our baby boy was born. He loved the water and going for rides on our boat. He could spend all day looking out at the horizon.  He did not want to relax as his sister did.  He didn’t want to miss anything.  It was just too fun and enchanting for him.

We had been trailering our boat for years.  Eventually we were able to put her in the water at a marina.  We were able to go out on the lake on a whim and life was wonderful…

Then my Hubby got a diagnosis.  Colon cancer.  Cancer caused our carefree days on our lake to become even more special.  They became less frequent but more meaningful, cherished & treasured.  Those memories are now priceless. 

Then my Hubby went to heaven. 

He left our ‘Tax Refund’ behind….as well as the rest of his belongings. 

I knew I could not afford to keep our ‘Tax Refund’ at the marina.  I also could not trailer her by myself. Our kids were too little to be of any significant help. 

It was not fair of me to leave her parked in my driveway.  She needed a new captain, a new family to go to.  So after some thought & prayer, I did what I needed to do…

I sent an email to a friend. He responded positively.  I asked for a very reasonable price.  Threw in all our life jackets & toys. And our ‘Tax Refund’ had a new owner, a friend of ours.

This friend had been on our boat many times.  He was a part of our lake memories. He knew my Hubby & his love of our lake.   He knew. 

He & his wife were newly married.  They had talked about getting a boat. I know they wanted a boat.  But he had never taken the plunge to get one.  I had wondered why, but now I know why.  He was meant to get ours.  God knew. 

HE knew that I would find peace in our boat, our ‘Tax Refund’, going to someone that understood.

It was a sad day to me when they picked her up.  It was the end of a chapter of my life, our life. It was the end of my carefree days on the lake with my family.  But it was the beginning of a chapter for my friend & his wife.  I knew the fun that was ahead of them.  I was excited for them.  I remembered my excitement when my Hubby & I first got our ‘Tax Refund’. 

My friends took my kids & I for a ride on her last summer.  They had cleaned her up & given her a face-lift. She looked great. And I could picture my Hubby in heaven smiling down on us that day. It was full of good times, laughter & smiles.   Just like we used to have all together.