Late Thursday afternoon I saw something posted on Craig’s List, that someone had about a hundred boxes of stuff they were giving away, and were putting it out for whoever wanted to sift through. I very spontaneously decided to head over that minute with three of my kids (ds6, dd8, dd12) – as I was driving there, I kept wondering why I was doing this. I usually ignore this kind of posting, my dh had just gotten home from work, and I had a tight time schedule because my girls had choir practice just a couple of hours later. And I knew that the chances of finding much were iffy (since people respond so fast to ‘free’ postings) since we would be getting there a while after it was posted and it was getting dark. It really wasn’t logical at all. But for some reason I felt like I wanted to go anyway. I told my kids on the way there, that we would find whatever H-shem wanted us to find, and regardless of getting there late, it would be what was meant to be – I didn’t want them to be disappointed that they came along.
When we got there, all that was left were maybe 15 – 20 boxes that were pretty picked over. But since we were there, we looked around. While I was looking, a woman came out of the building next door, which it turns out was the auction house that was giving the stuff away – it was leftovers from various lots that they had bidding on which were left over. She told me that they had a huge room full of clothes on the rack inside, and I was welcome to come in and take whatever I wanted! So you don’t think I said, ‘no, thanks’, do you?!
When I went inside, the manager of the auction house told me they had been planning to open a thrift store in this space, but after getting it mostly set up, were so busy they decided not to. He had been planning to post the individual clothing items on Craig’s List the next day to sell, but so many people had come for the stuff he posted, that they on the spur of the moment decided to give all of this stuff away, too. Since he decided this after most of the people had come, I ended up being the second person they told – there was only one other family in this large area going through everything while we were there.
My kids had a great time – it’s so much fun when you can get whatever you want, without thinking of the cost! We got so much stuff – some of it for use as it was, like the four pairs of top quality men’s sneakers (do you know how expensive good sports shoes are for teenagers?!), quilts/blankets (more blankets are always handy, right?) and pillows, and other clothing. I found a couple of funky clothing items (traditional clothing from other cultures) that will be perfect for Purim – one for dh (though ds15 liked this one so much he wants to wear it), one for dd12 (who has been complaining she can’t decide what to dress up as). Other things I got with the intent to repurpose them (I love repurposing!), like some old sheets and baby flannel blankets – I’m thinking of using them for quilting and cloth diapering. It was funny that it was the day after I posted about using rags instead of paper towels, and what I used for cleaning rags, because I found a box with a bunch of unused xmas towels – now I have a very full basket in the kitchen for mopping and cleaning with (around here, you can’t have too many)!
I tried to be selective, because I keep in mind that even when things are free, my space to store things is very limited, and I’m going to have to find a place for everything. So I didn’t just throw everything I could into a box to take home, even though I probably should have taken advantage of the opportunity and gotten more than I did. I also got six nice pairs of mens’ slacks, even though they’re too big for my dh and son, because I thought it would be nice to pass them along to someone in the community here who would appreciate them (I already posted them on our online community board as free, but no calls yet), and a bunch of little girls’ leotards, which I bagged up to send to the local dance/ballet program, for children who might not have the funds to buy their own. I also got a great book that I already have (the Reader’s Digest Complete How To book, or something like that), to pass on to someone else who will enjoy it – it’s super useful to someone who wants to do their own home repairs, etc.
There wasn’t a lot of kids’ clothing, but we did get some baby clothes, and the kids found some toys and I let them bring home two stuffed animals – one of which is a huge raccoon the size of my toddler (but much fatter) – he had a ball dancing around with it as if it were a dancing partner on Shabbos while we were singing. Ds6 thinks it’s fun because it’s big enough for him to lay on.
My dd12 got lots of stuff, even if she wasn’t sure what to do with it, and ended up getting a nice amount of sweaters/tops my size – well, they will be my size when I’m my size again! She got a bunch of blue jeans, because she has a book of crafts to do with denim material. I actually saw some jeans and was seriously considering getting them to make a quilt with. I’ve been thinking that it would be nice to use denim to make quilts for the boys’ room – the plain blue of the new flannel sheets is kind of boring, though it looks uniform – but we don’t wear denim so the pants would have to come from a cheap or free source like this. But when I was there, I decided not to take them because I don’t want to overwhelm myself with waiting projects to do at this busy time of year. That was probably a mistake and I’ll end up regretting it when I get around to doing the quilts, but at the time, I was really trying to keep focused (which isn’t easy at a time like this, when there’s so much but not necessarily of things you were looking for specifically). But we still got lots of stuff.
My dd did get to choir practice quite late, but she felt it was so much fun going with me that it was worth it. It’s nice to go somewhere like this and have the kids all enjoy it as much (more than, actually!) me. My dd14 and ds10 were sorry they hadn’t been given the chance to come along, too!
I often think about how you don’t know where H-shem will send you bracha (blessing) from, but it constantly seems to be flowing into our lives. You have to just keep your eyes open, be receptive to what He sends and the form it comes in, and recognize it with gratitude when you get it.
Avivah
