the good(s)

This weekend I hosted a neighborhood yard sale!

A few days before the sale I handed out flyers, letting my friends and neighbors know I was putting on a yard sale and would gladly take anything they were wanting to get rid of.

(The weather at this time was TERRIBLE. Cold and windy.. and I mean WINDY.. all day and all night.)

When Friday came, the sun was shining bright, not a cloud in the sky, it was the warmest spring day we'd had so far!

My husband and I set out the few meager items we'd collected from our house, not nearly enough to last through the weekend. I can remember saying to him, "I hope this doesn't turn out to be a flop!"

We put signs up anyway and cars started coming our way. The next thing we knew, friends were coming out of their houses with smiles on their faces and arms full of donations! Trash bags full of clothes. Items still in boxes never opened. Things to decorate the home.

At first glance our yard sale looked pitiful, barely filling our driveway, hardly worth stopping for. But pitiful looking as it was, the driveway never emptied. Things seemed to show up out of no where! I could barely keep track of what was coming and going! Saturday morning came and again I found a tub of donations sitting outside our garage door!

I thought of a couple comparisons to this event..

The miracle of Jesus and the never ending basket of loaves and fishes.

Hermione and her tiny satchel that could hold ANYTHING.. tents, clothes, swords.. Where did it come from? :)

The first comparison is more amazing than the second of course, that's just what popped into my head!

(Right: Me sporting a Wile Coyote band aid from my recent vaccination, and a nice farmer tan. It felt so good to be actively working with a goal in mind!)

At the end of the sale we were surprised to find we had made over $600.00!! A monetary success!

However, in my mind, the money earned is just a side note to everything I learned and experienced in such a small time!

A couple came to to the sale and told me they lived in a poor neighborhood, where the children didn't have much, and they were buying up as many items as they could afford to give them. I was so happy to be able to help them.

One lady was buying shoes and said if they didn't fit her, she would send them to family in the Philippines. Amazing!

I was touched when a little girl gave me a handful of change, just as a donation to the cause, expecting nothing in return.

I could FEEL the love coming from friends and family as they pulled together and supported me. My heart has been so full of gratitude and humility because of their efforts.

In a world where everything negative seems to be the focus, it is a breath of fresh air to see and experience the GOOD in people. I was truly blessed to be a part of it.

Thank you again to the Campbells, Honeys, Browns, Hughes, Scholzens, Scotts, Haights, Staples, Parkers, my Mom in law and my Mom, my kids and of course my adoring husband for helping to make this fundraiser a success! Those in India will most definitely be blessed by your service!