It quickly became evident that I would need to pare down my belongings. This meant one thing; garage sale. Not just one day, but five days of hosting garage sales over two weekends. Every morning, I woke up to the weatherman warning of the day’s heat advisory. I knew it would be hot but I had no idea how awfully hot it would be. Amazingly, I still had many shoppers.
On garage sale day one, the first shopper looked at the sold sign in our yard and with a very concerned tone of voice said, “I’m going through a divorce too. I know it’s hard.” I didn’t even know how to respond! What nonverbal communication gave him the idea I was selling my stuff because I was getting a divorce?!?!? Surely, I couldn’t have looked that haggard on the first day of the sale! Thankfully, the other shoppers minded their own business. Nevertheless, I’m glad I’m not selling my house and my belongings because of a divorce. That would be so much worse than a job transition.
EJ didn't care too much for the garage sale. On the first day he brought a toy out and left it on the driveway. A woman bought it and I promptly had to return her money when EJ starting crying. A quick lesson to leave your toys inside! He did have to sell some items that he wasn't keen on selling. He saw his Toy Story boots with a price sticker on them and immediately took the sticker off and put them on his feet. He didn't take them off for the rest of the day! Thankfully, my friend Julie took EJ to play with her son, Will, during the other garage sales. She created a fun and engaging place for EJ to play. That was invaluable because EJ was sensing our stress.
By the end of day one I was exhausted and overheated leaving me feel very sorry for myself. Then came my last shopper, a sweet lady who gingerly walked around looking at all the items. She lingered for quite a long time so we made small talk. It turns out she had just finished a chemo treatment a few hours before. Immediately, my "woe-is-me" perspective changed. She was a sweet woman who has battled cancer for years. I was deeply touched by her story and acceptance of her life situation. She brought a sense of peace into my garage that day.
The next day, I was back in the uncomfortable heat and hating it. Then the suburban from Oklahoma pulled up. A gaggle of similar-looking women got out and starting buying things right and left. They almost bought me out completely! It turns out it was a mom, two daughters and grandson finding things to help their daughter-in-law get settled in her new home in Lincoln. It turns out that all their husbands (and brother) were in the Sudan drilling water wells to bring fresh water to people in need in Africa. Bye, bye “woe-is-me” attitude. I had as much water as I needed to stay cool and hydrated in my hot garage. What a perspective changer! On top of that, these women were so kind and open about their faith. When we realized we shared faith in Jesus they asked if they could pray for us. Soon the garage was inhabited by a prayer huddle. They prayed for blessings for our family, a new job and peace in midst of our trial. They pulled up to the garage as strangers and left as friends.
The next week my parents were in town and they spent endless hours in my garage helping me pack and prepare for the 3-day garage sale. They even worked on their 42nd wedding anniversary. We did stop in time to take them to dinner to celebrate which is where we took the picture. My dad has spent many years of his life in his garage so the man knows his way around a garage! He was invaluable in dealing with all the odds and ends I didn’t know what to do with. My mom priced the items and kept the garage sale items organized when the crowds came. I couldn’t have survived without their help.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the neighbors who made their way to my garage. One afternoon when I was working the sale alone, Deb stopped by at the perfect time to take over so I could get EJ down for his desperately needed nap. Her husband, Ken, gladly helped in the mornings to get the items out on the driveway. He also got suckered into helping Eric move a behemoth of a TV from the basement to the sales “floor.” Eric, Ken Jeff and a dolly moved the 80lb TV in the oppressive heat. Watching these middle age men hustle that TV out keep us laughing for hours!
After a very busy Thursday, my friend Andi said she was taking the next day off of work to help. Didn’t she see her husband sweating as he helped haul that huge TV into the garage? Didn’t she know about the heat advisory? How could anyone be so nice? I was so touched by her offer. We had a great time and low and behold I barely noticed the heat that day. Amazing what the power of friendship can do! Andi and Jeff also knew that we needed to eat so they arranged for a couple of fun outings to our favorite places in Lincoln. We did dinner with Ken and Deb at the Blue Orchid and this picture is of us on our way to JTK. I've never been more thankful for air conditioning and great food than I was that night! They also cooked for us and let us sleep over when our beds were gone. They lived out the biblical mandate to treat your neighbors as yourself.
Once the garage sales were over we tried to make the best of moving. EJ liked pushing the dolly and riding on the dolly in and out of the moving truck.
The guys from our life group came to move boxes and furntiture. Well, they made their sons do the furniture but they were right there to lend a hand, er, finger in Sam's case!
On our last day in the house we were working in the garage and a car pulled up. The woman sat there looking at us which left me a bit concerned. My first thought was that she was with the parking police and about to give us a ticket for the huge truck in the driveway. Turns out she wasn’t. She works for the university and wanted to come and pray with us and tell us how much she loved our family. Eric saw her most days in the athletic center and she was always so sweet to EJ and I when we came to have lunch with Eric. That day she stood in our garage and shared a couple of Bible verses that we really needed to hear and she encouraged us not to be bitter in our circumstances because God was working in our lives in an important way. She also shared how she prays for those who have hurt her and caused some of her tough life transitions. She could’ve called or emailed us but she took the time to come to our house and have sweet fellowship in our garage.
Right next to the garage my friend Kaye had planted hydrangeas and they blossomed to frame the garage. It really lifted my spirits. I loved them and she promised to plant new ones for me at my next house.
As I reflected on my garage experience I realized that the dread I felt at the onset wasn’t as much about the heat as it was about tackling an overwhelming project by myself. Yet, not once was I alone in my garage project. The hot, humid, dirty garage became a refuge in our storm. A place where friendships were celebrated and new friends were made. Over and over God brought people to encourage us and support us in ways that really blew us away. God brought more blessings into my hot, humid garage than I ever would’ve have dreamed.
A huge thank you to all who came by this month. God used you to bring blessing, laughter, encouragement, perseverance, support, and muscles during a time we needed it desperately.
Here I am after the last box was on the truck. I had Eric take this picture as a reminder of God meeting us in the garage and blessing us tremendously. Here's our last picture in front of our house.
This pictured was followed by us pulling out of town and crying all the way down I-80. We love Lincoln and will forever be grateful for our time there and our precious friends. We will miss you.
2 comments:
Wow. What a testimony of God meeting your every need.
Oh precious friend. Loved every word. Hugs from one HOTtie to another :).
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