Yard Sale Blessings

          Yesterday was our yard sale. Moe and I put most of our possessions up for sale which was crazy.  Even though we have only had most of our things for almost a year, we have become surprisingly emotionally attached. I could not believe how hard it was to decide what things to sell.  Getting ready for a yard sale is hard work!!
          Anyway, my parents neighborhood has an annual yard sale which is a big hit and lots and lots and lots of people come out. This year we joined them and had a great turn out. I was so blessed by how many people came out.  Yard sale shoppers are hard core.  It wasn't supposed to start until 9am but we had people walking up as we were setting things out at 7am, not to mention the people that were driving by the night before to see who was having sales! 
          It was such a wonderful day. The weather was wicked hot  beautiful. The people were for the most part genuinely nice. (Except for a few crazy people) It was a time for catching up with old friends and meeting new people.  Seeing new people appreciate old things brings a new perspective on living. 
          One of my favorite things about yard sales is how it brings people together.  Although my teaching career has been quite short, I have already collected teacher things that I needed to get rid of.  It was so great to see people walk right up to my teacher things and get excited. The bond of teachers is so much greater than I ever realized. It was with the other teachers that I was able to share my new adventures with and feel truly understood and appreciated.  It was such a blessing to me.  
          Another wonderful blessing was the success of the yard sale.  Most of the success was because of the tradition of the yard sale and the amount of people it draws.  But because of that we were able to sell most of our things.  We made more money than I was expecting which is awesome considering we are moving half way across the world! The things that we did not sell went to Goodwill, Victory Mission, or consignment stores. So hopefully someone will be blessed by the rest of our things. 
          Yard sales and moving have made me realize how quickly we can accumulate things. We have been living in our apartment for only 9 months and already had way too much stuff. I have realized that in the future we need to be much more careful about accumulating things and working on living more simply.  But today I realize how blessed I am. We were supported by random strangers who bartered for our things, friends who we gave discounts to, and long lost friends and family who stopped by just give us money and their love.  It was a such a blessing-filled, wonderful weekend.