Old Blue Learns the Lessons of Life

By Bette M. Goodson (Mamaw)

Old Blue is a 1988 Ford Festiva that tells how she learned life's lessons through her experiences with Mamaw and Mamaws grandchildren. It is a delightful way of imparting to children, young and old, learning lessons of self-esteem, facing the challenges of life, and taking responsibility.

Old Blue has thought-provoking questions, a vocabulary list, and exercises. Old Blue suggests writing all this in one's happiness journal. If the child is too young to write, Old Blue suggests drawing, finding something in nature, or reading other books that reflect what one has learned. Travel the road of life with Old Blue and share her experiences along the way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9781504977388

Bette M. Goodson (Mamaw)

Bette Goodson is a homemaker and hands-on grandmother who taught her grandchildren lessons by playing a game with enchanted Old Blue. They had fun together and thought to share the wisdom of Old Blue with others. Sometimes, Old Blue is the teacher; sometimes it is Mamaw. Goodson enjoys writing, reading, journaling, gardening, and leading her yolates class, which she has done for forty years. She considers Old Blue to be part of the family. Her friends and family also refer to her car as Old Blue. Old Blue is a personality and likes to be recognized as she goes around town.

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© 2016 Bette M. Goodson (Mamaw). All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse   02/26/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5049-7739-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-7737-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-7738-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016902216

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Contents

Foreword

Dedication

Giving Thanks

Happiness Is

Author’s Note

Chapter 1 Blue Is Adopted

Chapter 2 Blue Gets An Attitude Adjustment

Chapter 3 Blue Is In An Accident

Chapter 4 Blue Gets A Boo-Boo

Chapter 5 Blue Gets A Baby Brother

Chapter 6 Blue Meets Bhakti Rose

Chapter 7 Blue Has A Big Disappointment

Chapter 8 Blue Gets A Bath

Chapter 9 Taurus Gets Sold Away!

Chapter 10 Blue Says Good-Bye To Bhakti Rose

Chapter 11 Old Blue Has Transplant Surgery

Chapter 12 Old Blue And Devi, The Artist

Chapter 13 Mamaw Had Road Rage

Chapter 14 Life Goes On Merrily Down The Street

Old Blue’s Favorite Photos

Foreword

You may consider your car just a piece of equipment with the sole purpose of taking you from one place to another. Not so for Mamaw and her six grandchildren, especially Savannah. They all love Blue. To the children, the car—or Old Blue as her name has become—is a real person with feelings and attitudes of her own. As a result of this little game of making Blue an enchanted car, Old Blue has become a wise teacher with her own brand of wisdom. Mamaw facilitates that wisdom to teach her grandchildren and herself the lessons of life. I hope others will enjoy these stories that are deceptively deep and thought provoking for all.

May all who read these words be filled with love, light, peace, and joy. May all see good in everyone. May the light of love and truth overcome all their fears. Remember, just as in planting a garden, sow seeds of kindness and gather love.

Sincerely,

Old Blue and Mamaw

Dedication

This collection of stories is lovingly dedicated to my grandchildren, Eric Wimer, Aaron Wimer, Molli Goodson, Noah Goodson, Cameron Shifflett, Savannah Shifflett and our wonderful great- granddaughter Braylin Higgins.

GIVING THANKS

I would also like to express my appreciation to the staff at Author House Publishers for working so diligently to help me get Old Blue’s stories into print and circulation. Thanks to my family and friends for graciously allowing me to write about them. Special thanks to my husband, Dan Goodson (Papaw) who loves Old Blue and has worked patiently and tirelessly to help me with all the computer work. I could not have done this without his help. Gratitude to all and much love and hugs. Mamaw Bette xxxxxooooo

Mamaw

Happiness Is

Start your happiness journal today.

Count your blessings every way.

The sun is always shining even when clouds appear.

Love yourself and others. We are all children of the same God.

To ride the happiness train, your ticket is your smile.

It’s worth more than money on the happiness mile.

Author’s Note

Mamaw and Old Blue encourage everyone who reads these stories to begin a Happiness Journal. During this wonderful exercise, you will begin to notice something that makes you happy. This encourages you to be aware of the little things that may be taken for granted. You may realize that little things are really the big and important things of life. Without these, life would be very bleak indeed.

Children, who are not old enough to write, can draw pictures of what made them happy that day. This encourages creativity, discipline, and positive thinking, not to mention self-esteem.

Happiness Journals can be purchased or created. Using your imaginations, you and your child may enjoy finding things such as a pretty feather, a nice sticker, a flower, seashell, or Mamaw’s favorite, a pretty rock, to put into her Happiness Basket. The possibilities are endless and joyful.

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Chapter 1

Blue Is Adopted

Although it was back in 1988, I remember it as though it were yesterday—the day I came to live with my family.

I was sitting on the car lot with all the other cars. On that day, many of us wore different colors. Some of us were big, beautiful, quite strong, and powerful. Others were medium in size and more economical. They were still very nice cars, but they were not as fancy and did not use as much gasoline as the more affluent models.

I am a very tiny and plain Ford Festiva with only two doors and four pistons. But I can turn around and park in very small spaces and run practically forever on a small tank of gas. But what I lack in size, I make up for in heart.

All of us sat there looking as cute and adorable as possible. Filled with the wonderful brand-new car smell, we hoped someone who was happy and nice would come along to adopt us and take us home.

A very nice couple came to the car lot that day. The man was looking for a large car because he drove many miles and wanted to be comfortable. The lady needed a car too. But knowing her husband needed a car more, she wasn’t saying much. After looking and thinking, he decided on a Taurus for himself. He then surprised his wife by suggesting that maybe she would like a Festiva. When the lady heard that, she was excited and so was I. Trying my best to sparkle and look spiffy in the warm sunshine, I noticed that my lot mates were doing