Needing to be Known

The story of a Volkswagen and the 6th-grade teacher who made Lilia Grundy feel loved and known. 

Meeting the Beetle 

On our trip to the Oregon Coast, I admired the majestic views as my husband generously drove. Most of the drive included scenes along the state highway featuring vibrant Douglas firs and grand Sitka spruces. As I was admiring the vistas, a Volkswagen passed the side of our car.  

“You once had a Volkswagen, right?” my husband recalled. I smiled and was instantly taken back to the time I was first introduced to “the Beetle.”  

Ms. Hennessey was my sixth-grade teacher. I remember her fondly because I was a shy little girl starting a new school, and Ms. Hennessey treated me with the kindness I so desperately craved.  

One day, on a class field trip, Ms. Hennessey volunteered to serve as one of the drivers — and whom did she ask to ride in her car? Me! It was an honor to be asked to ride alongside your teacher, let alone to sit up front in her cream-colored convertible bug, “the Beetle.” A couple of other classmates filled up the back of the car but sitting up front, I felt like I was the queen of the world with the air blowing against my face and hair.  

Looking back at that ride in the Beetle, I now understood what my heart was really aching for: to be known. I was too bashful to express my feelings, but my new teacher reached out to me. 

 As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When can I enter and see the face of God? (Psalm 42:2-3) 

Invoking the Starbuck Spirit 

Longing to be known feels like thirsting for God’s love. It can be intimidating at first, but Ms. Hennessey showed me how to start. She encouraged me, gave me opportunities, and assigned me the lead role in a play, knowing I'd struggle. But I embraced the challenge, even adding a Southern accent to my cowboy character, Mr. Harlow Starbuck! 

Ms. Hennessey saw my timidity but also recognized my talents and sought to bring them out of me so I could be bold enough to share. I wasn’t ready at first, but slowly, my teacher helped bring me out of my shell. 

After moving to Oregon, I lost touch with her, but the spirit of “Starbuck” remains within me. I competed in speech, sang in talent shows, served as class president, and captained sports teams — achievements I never thought possible as a shy girl.  

As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace. (1 Peter 4:10) 

Show Up and Be Known 

Our pastor shared a story that resonates with me about parishioners who consistently show up and volunteer. He knows them because they engage actively. 

So when it comes to our Heavenly Father, the same formula applies. I want to know God and I want Him to know me. Where to start? Reaching out. Showing up. Sharing talents and gifts with others, but also recognizing those who need help along the way.  

We never know when we might be planting another Harlow Starbuck seed. I did end up buying a Volkswagen later in life: a beautiful gold convertible. And while I don’t have the car any longer, sometimes I’ll catch the wind blowing in my hair and think about Ms. Hennessey.  

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. (James 4:8a) 

To Think About

Is there a time when you longed to be known and someone reached out? How do you share your gifts with others to make them feel loved and known? 

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Copyright 2026 Lilia Grundy
Images: Canva