Focal Point

Recently, our club set out to create a calendar, photographing members with their cars. The cars were beautiful, of course, but what surprised me most was how much more I noticed when I looked at the people standing so proudly beside them.

Not long after, I found myself in my garage, staring at a collage of family car photos. The images spanned generations—my great-grandpa, grandpa, dad, and now my own family. While I remembered the excitement of each car at the time, what stands out now are the people woven into those frozen moments.

There’s my first Oldsmobile Cutlass, with my dog watching my hand on the door, always eager to ride with her head out the window. There’s my first convertible, a black Cutlass, with my grandma—an Oldsmobile loyalist—admiring it with a smile. There’s Emily with the only new car we ever bought, a Chrysler Pacifica Signature Series from VerHage Motors. And there’s the yellow Jeep that I still drive to this day, bought for big adventures, with my sons and nephews climbing all over it like a jungle gym.

Looking back, I’ve realized something important: it’s not just the cars we remember, but the people who shared them with us. If our calendar project taught me anything, it’s this—don’t just take a picture of the car. Get in the picture. Preserve the moment. Because years from now, that’s what will matter most.