Day Five (and a day late) 1) The Gift of Thrift. When asked once, Steve said our decorating style at home was Early OPG. Other Peoples Garbage. Its true. I grew up in a house full of second hand clothes, donated furniture and thrift store finds. I remember the first time I realized that not everyone used garden bricks and press board pieces to build bookshelves, I was floored. Around our house, everything we owned had a story and it started like this That came from...(fill in name of the generous donor). Nothing came from the mall or a furniture store. Clothes came in garbage bags when someone elses daughter outgrew them. My grandpas sister used to collect and bundle clothes to send overseas and I remember going to her house to sort through literally tonnes, it was like going to Rodeo Drive for us. My cousin Holly used to get the BEST stuff, her mom would smuggle things out of the dump! I coveted her refuge-rescued Barbie Fashion Face like you wouldnt believe. Our fridge never held fancy Tupperware, but rather old sour cream containers lovingly washed, refilled and labelled with masking tape and a pen. Heres the kicker though, I never felt like we did without, we simply did without NEW. My mom could fix and patch and repair almost anything, she was a whiz. We never had store-bought pencil cases for back-to-school, my mom made them all for us. I showed up on the first day of second grade with a purple Crown Royal bag from which my mother had neatly picked out all of the stitching except the R and the C for my initials. (I bet that teacher is still telling that story.) My mom had learned these lessons from her mom and lovingly passed them to my sister and I. Our home today is filled from top to bottom in cast-offs, donations, road-side finds, dumpster rescues and second hand store treasures. Our closets and drawers are stuffed with things other people have out-gown and Value Village fare. Weve never bought a TV, in 25 years together weve upgraded from free TV to free TV, youd be amazed how many TVs people give away! My kids peruse craigslist like its the Sears Christmas catalogue. Im thankful that not only have we learned to live like this, Im thankful were actually all really good with it. It means our dollars go to help local charities like the Hospital Auxiliary or Bibles for Missions instead of Sam Walton. It means we help out our environment by decreasing the need for packaging, transport and production of new products. It means we often have awesome one-of-a-kind pieces. Im thankful for the opportunity to share the thrill of a garage sale bargain with my boys over a Egg-McMuffin on a Saturday morning, I hope its something they pass on as well. 2) Cousins. Consider the Goldendoodle. The designer dog. The Golden Retriever is as cute as the day is long, but sheds its body weight in fur each day (its a wonder theyre not all completely bald). The Poodle on the other hand holds onto its fur and wont kick up your allergies, but its still a Poodle. Its not a wonder that someone decided to cross breed them and produce the shed-free, but still adorable, hybrid. Cousins are like the Goldendoodle, a perfect combination of siblings and friends. Cousins share your grandparents, DNA, family history and traditions, but they dont want to borrow your stuff, rat you out to your mom and dad, or poke you in the arm for the entire four hour ride to Grandmas house. Cousins are around for a lifetime, for reunions and Christmases and to stand up for you at your wedding and they wont cut and run when a cooler option comes along or when the going gets rough. Im thankful for my cousins and my kids cousins, first and second and even a couple of thirds. Im thankful for the life-long companionship and love that comes from them. Im thankful for the example my mom and her siblings provided when they made sure we got to see each other and bond. I feel so grateful that my kids continue to see the blessing that a cousin is. 3) Perspective. When I was nominated, I have to say I was a little reluctant to participate. I was crabby, bitter, feeling ungrateful and did I mention crabby? They say Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned this should read Hell hath no fury like a woman whose children have been scorned. A couple of months ago, a mom on our executive decided that she would declare, in front of a room full of people, that my kids didnt belong at our swim club. The comment brought gasps from the back of the crowded room and a swell of anger in me that had not receded months after the fact. I packed a mental backpack with rocks, each marked with rage, resentment, retribution and revenge. The rocks grew heavier and heavier. My words were bitter and my time was eaten up dwelling on how wronged I felt. The way she treated me was really awful, the way I treated myself was worse. I dragged that backpack around for months, it weighed me down and wore me out. In the shadow of my anger at her, I was unable to see the amazing things I did have. This project has required a lot of thought. My days have been spent thinking about the things Im thankful for and ironically (sarcastic font) that has left me with much less time to think about the things that were eating at me. Im thankful for the perspective shift this challenge provided me. Im thankful that in light of all the good the bad seems so much smaller and that I got to share this walk with you.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 04:40:27 +0000
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