It was the day before Christmas and I was trying to find one last roll of wrapping paper. I was driving out of a local shopping plaza which turned into a bit of a maze: left here, right there, another left, then down a little alley which then led out to the main boulevard. At the end of the alley was a diagonally parked car and a family ~ mom & dad with two small children.
The car got my attention first, it was an old purple minivan with alot of rustic patina on the patchworked paint. It was almost magical in an unfortunate way. I admired the soul of it, imagining its great adventures as I approached. That’s when the family came into view.