“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss
Well I knew this day was not far off, but the time has finally come to say goodbye to Clifford. Whenever people think of Amanda, they also think of her big, red Yukon XL – Clifford. The car and the personality were a perfect match for each other. Clifford was 21 years old and had 290,000 miles.
I used to ask Amanda if she wanted a new car, but she always said no. She loved that car. I think of it as her sidekick. After she passed away, I was determined to drive it until the end. She was willing to “love it out” and so was I. My hope was to reach the 300,000 mile mark, but I have no complaints or regrets – just gratitude for a great ride.
The other night as I was looking through old photos to find pictures for this post I noticed a shift in myself for the first time. The old memories brought a warm smile to my heart instead of sad tears to my eyes. Clifford took us on a lot of adventures and we covered a lot of miles. I’m excited for the new adventures that await and the undiscovered roads to be traveled. There is still a lot of living left to do.
Charlie asked me if I was going to put Clifford’s fuzzy white dice in my new car. I told him it did not seem right to do that. Those are Clifford’s dice. I asked him if he wanted them and after thinking about it he decided to pass as well. It feels like recycling a wedding ring – that’s just not right. We will find a nice place for them somewhere in the house where we can look upon them and think about the good times.
I think maybe it is appropriate that of all weekends to say goodbye to Clifford, Easter weekend was the perfect time. I’m sure this is sacrilege somehow, but it is the season of rebirth and moving forward to new adventures. I’m excited about what is around the corner and I’m grateful for the memories that have shaped who I am. I also laugh a little imagining Amanda up there driving around in Clifford on a beautiful day with the windows down, her crazy sunglasses on, smacking her gum with the radio blaring and all her friends on board.
Go Be Awesome!
Oh Clifford was the best! Happy Easter to you and your crew!
Too good!!
Good bye to Clifford 🚘….Happy Easter to all the Neuhoff’s 🐣 ✝️
We all knew that Amanda’s smiling and waving face was inside that bright red Clifford. It does seem appropriate to have Easter be the time for his season to end and to move on to cart around Angel Amanda …thinking of you!
Loved this! And I really love reading things about Amanda. It makes me smile. Thanks for sharing, Byron.😊
I smiled especially because Clifford has a sista sitting in my own garage! 2008 260K miles and at least that much in prized memories and stories. Happy Easter, Byron and all the Neuhoffs!! 🙏😊
So many happy memories in Clifford. What a ride.
Beautiful post, Byron. Thank you.
Clifford gave us many giggles and happy memories. So emblematic of Amanda. Hard to say goodbye. Crying sad and happy tears. It helps to think of Amanda zipping along in heaven, reunited with Clifford and her tunes and gum.
Nothing better than seeing Clifford roll up, dice dangling, and a GIGANTIC smile above the steering wheel. You just knew an awesome conversation was about to ensue and your day was about to be massively brightened. Clifford delivered and inspired smiles in Dallas for two decades; that’s a pretty terrific record and I bet the smiles exceeded the miles! BTW, I always loved the years when the Screwdrivers had the same model Yukons in our nation’s colors: Amanda in red, Abigail in white, and Holly in blue. Can’t stop thinking of your idea of Clifford and Amanda reunited. Huge love to all y’all and thanks for — yet again — putting a smile on this town’s face with your wonderful writing.