Rental cars are spartan. There are no custom accessories. Anything person that has been left in the car is removed. Customers expect and, in all but one situation in my history, receive a car devoid of anything the manufacturer did not deliver when the car was new. This car was different. It was spartan, seemingly ready to fly apart despite not being driven very much. What made the car different was the Islamic pendant hanging from the mirror. It made the car unique. As much as one tried to ignore it, it was a comforting reminder of Allah’s presence, blessing, and call to prayer across the ten days of driving the car.
When I returned the car, it felt as if I was leaving something behind. I knew it was not mine to keep, so I felt no temptation to keep it. As time has passed, so has the sense that something that was part of my life is no longer there. I think this is a good thing, even as I listen to the whispered lessons that emerge from the experience.
Symbols of good in our lives are helpful. I enjoy reminders of kindness and care, and it is encouraging to hold reminders of compassion. Gifts are often symbols of friendship, trust, and hope. Each symbol is, in its own way, a pointer to someone or something that is living within my heart and soul.
Symbols are a beginning, a stepping stone to something more. As I see their context, old words come to mind; “Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God’s ways;” (Hebrews 5.13). I do not hear a negative in these words. I hear these words as an observation that as I begin my journey, my baby steps will take me to the source and much more. The pendant was a reminder to appreciate every house of worship I passed, to slow down and listen to calls to prayer, and to be aware of the blessings hidden in each day.
I am thankful for the symbols as I enjoy the experience that followed.
