Changing Priorities

Last week I called the body shop that "Uncle Packard" recommended.  I learned that the body guy, who is 65 years old, was taught to do body work in the "old school" way (using lead, not bondo) by his father, now 90 years old and still working at the shop!  I believe him when he says he does the best body work in the area, especially since Uncle Packard has also given his highest recommendation.  I really want Body guy to work on my t-bird.  It just feels right.
Over the phone, Body guy told me that he and his dad are planning on retiring and closing the shop at the end of the year!  This news changes my priorities on the car.  Rather than focus all my energy on painting and assembling the engine, I now feel that I need to get the car ready to go to the body shop!  Gone are my plans to paint the engine compartment myself, install the engine, and drive the car to the body shop.  I don't have time for that.  I want Body guy to work on my car before he closes shop!  And if he does the body work, he might as well paint the car while he has it... including the engine compartment.
I've talked to my Dad about this plan, and he agrees.  Since he has graciously volunteered to pay for the paint and body work, this shouldn't be financial burden for me...  but there are some things I need to do to the car before I have it towed to the shop.  I need to prep the engine compartment as best I can.  I need to remove some trim pieces, ventilation ducts, and carefully pull back some of the wiring.  And I need to do this by the end of the month, so the shop can have the car in early November!  I was not anticipating this.  It is actually shocking to think that I might have a painted car in January... this is moving much faster than I had ever anticipated!

Sometimes, things happen slowly... and sometimes, things happen quickly.  Maybe too quickly.  I feel a little unsettled.  I have so many other things happening in my life right now... why did I ever take on this t-bird project?  Yet, God continues to bless me with it.  Yes, it continues to cost more than I would like, but I'm still solvent.  I'm uncomfortable devoting so many resources to this one thing, and I tend to consider myself very selfish for doing this.  Yet, I get the feeling that God is moving here, opening opportunities for me.  Maybe I'm wrong, and justifying my own selfishness.  Maybe I'm overly driven to redeem my failure as a teenager.  But maybe.... maybe what I do through this car is more important than that. Maybe it is that last, lingering bridge to my father's soul...

Dad mentioned to me a while back that he would like to ride in the t-bird when it is done.  I felt awkward when he said this, because I didn't think it likely that an 83 year old man with stage 3 esophageal cancer would live long enough to see the car completed.  But now I'm starting to think that he just might.... he just might!