December is a time of endings. There are so many faiths present in San Diego. And most of the religious observances around this time of year are about renewal, in some way.
For Islam, it’s Mawlid el-Nabi, the birth of the Prophet, which ranges from small and sacred to carnival-like processions, celebrating one who leads the way. Judaism has Hanukkah, a festival of lights to celebrate the triumph of faith in a very dark hour. Christianity has Christmas, which celebrates the coming of a messiah to redeem the world. And many of the Christmas rites we know come from the Winter’s Solstice, the darkest night of the year, a Wiccan (Pagan) tradition, celebrated with a spiced log on the fire to ward away the evils.
This past year, our community in San Diego has endured a lot. Fires destroyed a lot of homes and turned San Diego’s air difficult to breathe. Internet communication has polarized us instead of uniting us. There’s been anger and fear. A pandemic has isolated us even further. We have watched our country suffer through a year where it wasn’t safe to purchase goods at local shops anymore. Many have died from COVID19 and many, many more may live for years, weakened by its damage to the heart and lungs. As a nation, we have struggled to find hope and rebirth among all the negatives.
At Family Auto Service, we kept all of our locations open when the virus raged. Had our customers not treated us with respect and care, or had we not protected our customers from infection, our shops would likely have closed once contamination spread. So many of you came in, smiling under your face masks, to get our assistance with your vehicles. You believed in us, and you appreciated the seriousness with which we took your health and prosperity, too. It made us so glad to work among you and proud to be your shop… to protect you through your cars… to share a smile in a dark hour for San Diego.
We want you to know that your kind ways have renewed us. We gave you our best, and you gave back your best, too. In our darkest hour, we held faith in each other. And it meant the world to us to know that our friends were there to rely on us, and in the same stroke, support us and our business in a very dark time.
You are our family, and we hope you always think of yourselves that way with us, too. Here’s one last reminder that air filters will need to be replaced with the recent wildfires, and soon. If you’d like to get your air filters taken care of, schedule an appointment with our auto mechanic team. Or feel free to see us at any of our five locations:
La Jolla: 1027 Virginia Way, La Jolla, CA 92037
Alpine: 2417 Alpine Blvd, Alpine, CA 91901
La Mesa: 7191 Alvarado Road, La Mesa, CA 91942
Santee: 10332 Mission Gorge Road, Santee, CA, 92071
Miramar: 8040 Miramar Road, San Diego, CA 92126
We look forward to seeing you again soon!