Take this image and mentally enlarge it to cover a 3-stall garage and a full basement: that is our current reality.
In the past couple weeks, Tim-the-trash-picker has collected truck loads of goodies from over 20 families who have so graciously donated to our sale. Meanwhile, I have gleefully repeated the familiar phrase, "one person's trash is another person's treasure!" (with varying degrees of volume and intensity) so many times that I've lost count. I have had to really work hard to keep myself from snatching some of the amazing pieces we've accumulated thus far: vintage furniture that's just begging for a new coat of paint, antiques that would make perfect home decor, couches, chairs, clothes, shoes, purses, toys, electronics, books, bikes, tools, games, etc. It is truly unbelievable in there!
I had just wrapped up a phone conversation with a teacher-friend, during which we shared our excitement for back-to-school shopping season. We talked about the great deals and coupons everywhere for school supplies and accessories, but what really got us excited was the clothing. What teacher doesn't love a new pair of dressy denim or a brightly-colored cardigan to kick off another year of shaping little minds?!
Since I had just boxed up approximately one half of my wardrobe to sell for Baby E, I was feeling particularly uninspired about my fall fashion. My friend and I drooled about the new wedges at Target, necklaces on Etsy, and vests at J. Crew through the phone lines; but toward the end of our conversation, it hit me. I was reminded of what Tim and I have been telling ourselves all summer: saying "yes" to adoption sometimes means saying "no" to other things. This year, extraneous back-to-school shopping was one of those things.
Just before hanging up the phone, I laughed and told my friend, "I can't buy back-to-school clothes, I'm buying a kid!!" We had a good chuckle together, but the truth was still the same: this year, my priorities had changed.
Not 30 minutes later, Tim got a text from a friend who was driving by our house and wondering if he could stop by to drop off a few things that his wife wanted to donate to our garage sale.
{Fast forward to the moment when the 3 overflowing black garbage bags came barreling down the stairs into the basement where I was sitting, surrounded by men's pleated dress pants and fuzzy sweaters...}
Directly into my lap dropped 3 enormous Hefty Cinch-Saks filled with perfect condition, name brand, all my style, and ALL MY SIZE women's clothes. Friends, it was like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants down there. It didn't matter what the tag read, every single article of clothing that I put on my body fit like it was made for me. Every.Single.One. I could not stop the tears from flowing as specific outfits that I had pined after on Pinterest came together right before my eyes. The stripes, the patterns, the layers: everything was there. The exact pair of pants that I wore through on recess duty last year were inside that bag, in perfectly new condition. My heart swelled.
Now, I'm not telling you this story to further illustrate the accusation that I'm a sometimes-petty girl who loves fashion, or to make you jealous of the fact that I'm hoarding all the good clothes from the garage sale {I put some back, I promise!!}, but rather to tell you that God is faithful.
Matthew 6:25-34 tells us that God feeds the birds of the air and clothes the grass of the field and asks "will He not much more clothe you--you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'what shall we eat?' or 'what shall we drink?' or 'what shall we wear?' ... But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Amen.
I am in no way implying that I was in desperate need of new clothes last week; in fact, far from it. Nor am I implying that God cared so deeply about my wearing the latest trends that He put that on the top of His holy-checklist and made it happen; nope, I don't think that either. What I do think, however, is that God knew that I needed a little reminder. In the midst of stress and chaos and absorbing the often overwhelming pain of others, God reminded me that He cares about me, too.
I did have a period of feeling uneasy about cherry-picking and snagging items that were intended for the garage sale, but a conversation with another adoptive mama put my mind at ease. She was quick to remind me that this is just another way that God is showing His faithfulness in meeting our needs during this season of pinching pennies and reserving resources. He cares about meeting our baby's needs in Ghana, and He cares about meeting our needs here while we wait.
This fall, I will wear my new-to-me skinny jeans, ruffled silk tank, and lace-y cardigan with remembrance, gratitude, perspective, and - if I'm being honest - probably a little extra sass! Thanks, God.