YARD SALE memory Part 2

Miraculously, people began appearing, hurrying into the covered areas and buying the objects that had for so long filled our home and made us feel comfortable. Jacob and JoHanna had awakened enough to start searching through boxes, and they both began to retrieve items that we had hidden. “I love these shorts. They really do fit me,” Jacob winced. “My kitty. This is my favorite kitty,” JoHanna cried. We had almost torn ourselves away when I found Jacob eyeing a little boy who was handling his old water gun. (Ironic, huh?) When the “shopper” picked up a souvenir football, Jacob had enough. He took his chance and grabbed it (the football, not the shopper). His desperate face solicited an, “Okay, you can keep it,” from me. He promptly ran to hide it in the backyard. Jeff found him and hurried him to the waiting van, where Jacob clutched the ball most of the trip.

With a yard full of ponds, strangers, and soggy belongings, we looked through the then torrential showers and found our friends to thank them, hug them, and leave. It went against every grain of my fabric to leave my friends to do this task in the pouring rain while we drove off.

As we made our way down the road, we all felt a bit quiet. The hectic days of packing to ship and pricing to sell had not afforded us time to let the events sink in. As the car began to count the miles and the rain followed us, the reality of the scene hit us. Much of our earthly belongings were priced to be sold to strangers who would never know their origin, their stories, our experiences, or the friends that helped us use them. What a mixture of feelings. Honestly, it was funny, when we considered the sopping sight. At the same time, it was miraculous to realize that crowds had come and made the sale a success, despite the rain. It was sad to let go of belongings, but liberating to know our home is in heaven. As we thought about the event, we were so glad that our children were spared the later events of the day. The farther we went, the more of a blessing from our friends we believed it was.

So, what about that house around which the rain descended? In Matthew’s story, as in ours, “it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock” (Matt. 7:25). While Matthew wasn’t addressing Yard Sales, I believe that the same principle held true that day at our home, and God blessed the servant hearts of our dear friends who ministered to us when the rain descended.


Blessed Yard Sale season to you!