Recognizing a Classic

​My first car was a 1964 ½ Ford Mustang.  I remember the day my Dad bought it and we towed it home.  It didn’t have front fenders. There was lots of rust on it.  I’m pretty sure it wasn’t actually safe to have someone sit in it, let alone be towed and steered.  Nonetheless, that is exactly what Mom and Dad did.  I didn’t see the vision.  I complained about having an old car and not something more modern.  That’s right, I complained about getting a car and even worse, a 1964 ½ MUSTANG!!!!! 

Little did I know that my first car would turn out to be gorgeous.  I was fourteen when we got it and it was more than a 2-year process to get it back to its’ glory.  Oh, but when we did…She was pretty.  Painted bright red, white interior, black carpet and a white top.  As my Dad always seemed (and still does) to be able to do was be patient with me and help me understand that restoring a classic car takes time.  Parts aren’t always readily available.  Technology changes.  Having people available to work on them is sometimes hard to do.  Having the money available to put into the restoration sometimes has to be diverted to other more pressing matters.  There can be a whole litany of reasons that restoring this classic car takes time and even longer than an impatient 14-year-old wants it done.  However, at the end of the long waiting period.  Through all the frustrations and best intentions of my Dad, I still wanted it sooner and faster and newer.  My Dad was slow and steady on the process, because he knew what the end result would be.  He had the advantage of time and experience.  This has been one of the most powerful lessons my Dad ever taught me. 

Now, I am more patient and I recognize that despite wanting immediate gratification, as we all do, I have to have a plan, stay the course and wait for that amazing moment when I walk outside and see a fully restored classic car that has been brought back to all its glory.
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This is the same feeling I get when I come to work at LIV every day.  I get to be part restoring a classic car.  In fact, I’d go as far as to say that I’m blessed to be part of restoring THE classic car of Richmond…Legacy at Imperial Village.  When we opened in 1967, this community quickly established itself as the premier location to live and work.  As with anything classic, after time, it shows its age.  However, Legacy at Imperial Village is still a classic and we know that we are moving towards establishing ourselves as a Legacy.