Dear Vera Catherine....A Letter From 1946

I've mentioned before that one of the reasons I love auctions so much is that you never know what you'll find.  And, sometimes you get a snapshot of a time in history and the lives of the people who lived in that time.  Today I bought a box lot of vintage paper goods.  In that box was a typed letter from 1946.  It appears to be a friend writing a friend in another part of the country.  I love that you can see glimpses of what it was like to live in that time, but that you can also see similarities to how we all think and feel no matter what time we live in.

Dear Vera Catherine,

I was sitting here letting my thoughts roam and I suddenly remembered I haen't heard from you for some time.  I can't remember if I owed you a letter or not but since I have some extra time I thought I would write you.

Well, Les, two more days and my career as a stenographer is over.  Then I shall become a housewife.  I believe it will take me much longer to become a good housewife than it did to become a steno.  I am looking forward to it very much tho and have a million and one things planned to do.  I have started some embroidery work that I want to finish and also start a layette for the baby.

Guess I told you that David and I shall be parents sometime in November.  We are quite thrilled abou the whole things and only wish tomorrow was November.  The poor baby doesn't know what a future it has ahead having me for a mother.  It scares me just to think of it.  Guess I'll have to get over that right quick, don't you think?  I want a boy, naturally, and David wants a girl.  We haven't thought too much about names but I have picked David Lowell for a boy and Ann Elaine for a girl.

Esther keeps me informed about Cheryl Kay and I never heard anyone talk so proudly of their baby as they do.  Am so glad all is going well with them.  Martha wrote and told me all about her little girl too.  I'm glad it was a girl as that makes her a nice family now.
As yet we are still sharing an apartment but hope to have something soon.  I would like to get a place and get settled before the time comes when I can't do much.  We may hear something yet this week on the apt. downstairs.  The elderly couple living there now have inherited a home and as soon as they can get into it we have their apt.  They had to serve a 9 mos. notice to the people intheir house and that will be up by the end of Sept.  They offered them a $100 bonus to move sooner.  But even a hundred dollars doesn't help find a place to live now.  We are fortunate to have such a nice place to share.

The weather here has been quite hot but I don't think I will mind it much when I stay home and can dress accordingly.  Now I have to wear hose and all that goes with it.  The nights are rather cool and we have two windows in our room which is a great help.

David has been doing some painting in the apt. for Kay and it sure looks good.  He repainted the kitchen table white and we put Mexican decals on the corners and now he is going to paint all the cupboards and woodwork and we will decorate the rest of the kitchen.  I like it so well I want him to get me a table to paint for my kitchen then we are going to buy chrome chairs to go with it.  We have a lot of ideas if we ever get a place to put them to work.  I am getting a blond oak dinette set which is the same wood as my bedroom and then we are getting two small corner cupboards for the one end of the room which he will paint white and my buffet will be a small chest of drawers with extension shelves on either side also painted white.  I'm getting my sister's portable sewing machine and shall attempt to cover the dinette chairs and make draperies out of the same material.  Sounds like a lot of work but we are anxious to get started.

I just finished a short letter to Louise Sembower.  It was a 'must' as they sent me an Easter greeting and I never acknoweldged it.  I don't know what to write to her but after she had the shower and all for me I almost had to do it.  I just wonder if they found a place to live yet by themselves.

It seems like I have been doing a lot of talking about us but am interested in what you are doing now.  I hope you are taking it easy since school closed.  What are you going tot do for a vacation?  David and I spent 4 days in Texas visiting some friends we met at Camp and sure had a grand time but it was far too short a time.  We went over Decoration Day and the weekend.  Had pullman both ways which was the only way the doctor would let me travel.  We won't get home this fall as we had once planned but will have something nice to bring with us next spring.  I don't know if any of our families will get to come out or not.  David's mother and dad would rather wait until we get a place of our own so they can make a real visit and in a way that would suit me better also.  Mother would like to be with me before and after the baby comes but I don't know if she can make it or not.  David's sister will be in school and she will almost have to be there.  I'm really not worried about it at all right now but suppose I will be when the time comes.

Irene and Hilton, this one couple that we go with a lot, have found and apt. and so Irene is quitting her job also.  We plan on seeing a lot of each other as our apartments are within walking distance.  They are almost as thrilled about the baby as we are.  Then David works with a nice fellow his age and he and his wife have been up to the apt.  She doesn't work either and expects to spend a lot of time at our apts as she has only a sleeeping room to stay in.  I want to have the four of them in for dinner some evening when I quit work.

On June 16th David and I joined the First Presbyterian Church here in K.C.  We like the church very much and it is quite active.  Our Sunday School class is a mixed group of people our age and we had a picnic last night and 39 turned out.  David and I and Irene and Hilton are in charge of the August social for our class.  The young people also have a bowling league of 6 teams and David bowls with them.  I was going but then had to drop out.  Our minister is a very good bowler.

I quit at 3:00 today and am going home and do my ironing.  It makes me feel good to think this is the last week I'll have to go home and do the ironing after work.

Write when you can and let me know how things are with you.

Love,
Grace

So What Kinds of Things Do I Buy At Auction

For those of you who aren't connected with me on Facebook, my post from a couple days ago describing my love of buying & selling vintage items, may have been news to you.  For those who see me all the time on Facebook, you might find today's post boring & repetetive.  But, for the rest of you.....

I showed you where I go to find my treasures to re-sell.  But, I haven't shown you any of my treasures.  So, what kinds of things do I find at auction?  I can't even BEGIN to tell you.  It's everything and anything!

Sometimes it's beaten up, ready for the curb furniture.  Sometimes it's a diamond in the rough furniture piece just needing a little refresher.  I find glassware, picture frames, vintage board games, boxes of miscellany, artwork, and old army first aid kits.  I've found handwritten diaries & old photos of people whose lives have long since passed.  I've found vintage jewelry, old bottles, crates, & odd things that I had to research to discover how they were once used.

It's a treasure hunt!  It's always a learning experience.  And, it's so much fun.  I love it!

Here are some of my favorite, more recent finds....

You just never know what you'll find!

The End of the Day

Sometimes I come to the end of a day feeling defeated & exhausted & I say "Ugh. That is a day I don't want to repeat." Other times I come to the end of a day and say, "That was a pretty good day."

Today was a pretty good day.

But, the thinker in me can't leave it at that. Because, when I really think about it, I SHOULD want to repeat those 'stinky' days too. Every single day. Every single breath...even the ones that cause us to labor and sigh and strain & strive...are amazing.

Can I remember that?

When A Hobby Becomes More

I've talked on here a little bit about how in the last couple years I've gotten into buying & selling vintage items.  I do most of my selling on a Facebook group that I started & some other similar Facebook groups.  Plus, I have a group called Vintage Revival Market that sprung up from that Facebook group where we do Vintage Sales events 2-3 times a year.

Our Vintage Sales typically bring in about 45 vendors & hundreds of customers.  We also have a food stand & a raffle with donated items.  All proceeds from the food & raffle go to a local ministry, House of His Creation.   And, since the church where we hold the event donates the use of their space we are also able to give the entire proceeds from vendor registration fees to House of His Creation.   We also had one sale that we did last summer to benefit the adoption fund of my cousin & his wife....who are now proud parents of a beautiful girl!

I guess I started getting into this whole field because I love vintage, it was fun, and it also brought in a little supplemental income for our family.  Now that we've expanded a bit & hold these vintage sale fundraiser events, I've been toying with the idea of whether or not I should turn it into an official non-profit business.  However, while I have creative ideas & vision, I just do not have much in the way of business sense.  So, that's definitely on the back burner.

Anyway, our next sale is coming up April 11.  And, I need some more inventory for my own personal stand.  Yes, I'm there as a vendor and as a coordinator.  I'm not sure how long I'll be able to continue doing that.  At our sale last fall I was rarely at my own stand because I was helping in other areas & making sure everything was running smoothly.

Every Tuesday there is an auction about 5 minutes from my house.  This is where I typically go to get my inventory.  Sometimes I can get awesome deals with room for a fabulous profit margin.  Other times things are way out of my price range.   While I don't go every week, I'm there often enough that I'm definitely in my comfort zone when I'm there.

Here are some pictures from this week.  I wish I had gotten a few more because this doesn't even begin to show the scale of this auction.  During the day, there are three different auctioneers going at once.  One in the front outside.  One in the back outside.  And, one inside.  Then, there's an evening auction inside for furniture.

Starting Over....Again

Well, it's time for a re-do, a fresh start, a new beginning.  The 'freedom' I had decided to embrace in my last Monday check-in for healthy eating quickly spiraled down into the old familiar lack of self-control.  I have been eating terribly.  Not only have I been eating terribly, I've been eating a LOT.  It's been binge eating if I'm honest.

I am so grateful that even though I fail time and time and time again, that God loves me through it all.  And, he always has grace and new mercies to shower on me.

I'm done beating myself up about my consistent failures.  When I do that I only sink deeper into the hole of self-loathing.  Am I disappointed in myself?  Am I frustrated?  Absolutely.

But, here's the thing.  I could wallow in that.  I could sit and lament how far I'd be by this point if I'd just stayed on track.   I could be angry at myself for gaining back all the weight that I worked so hard to lose last year.  I could convince myself that I'm doomed to repeat this pattern of lose, gain, lose, gain for the rest of my life.

OR I can set my face forward in hope rather than looking back in regret.  I can pick myself up and start over knowing that God doesn't love me any less for my failings.  And, He's always willing....eager actually....to strengthen me as I turn to Him.

I had mentioned that I had started keeping a small journal of 'words' or reminders that I felt like God was giving me.  I looked back at that journal and found an entry from February.  I remember I'd been having a particularly rough day with my kids that day.  And, I know I was feeling extremely low.  I was feeling like a failure.  Much like I could easily allow myself to feel now.

But, as I read through that entry, I was refreshed and encouraged once again.  Here's just a few of the things I had written down...things I felt God was saying to me.
 - I am here.
 - I'm always here.
 - Keep seeking me.  It won't always be easy.
 - Remember all that I have done for you.  My purposes will stand.
 - No shame.  Only moving forward.
 - I am a gentle Father.

I am claiming these today as promises.  I am thanking God for his faithfulness even when I'm faithless.

I've also been convicted in my spirit that a lot of my issues that I struggle with - food issues, time management, angry reactions toward my children - stem from a larger issue with self-control .  The Bible has a lot to say about self- control.

Galatians 5:22  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law."

I Thessalonians 5:6  "So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled."

1Thessalonians 5:8  "But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet."

1 Peter 1:13  "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed."

This is just a small sampling of the verses that speak about self-control.

Again, I feel weak.  I don't know how to achieve this self-control that God so obviously wants for my life.  But, I know that I can ask Him to help me in this area.  And, so that is what I plan to do.

What are my goals?  What will the daily changes look like in my live?   Well, here are few of my goals for each area where I know I lack self-control.

Food issues  - Eat mainly a plant-based diet with small to moderate amounts of meat & dairy
 - Avoid most processed sugars
 - Eat mostly whole foods.  Avoid processed/ packaged foods.
 - Avoid preservatives, food dyes, & artificial sweeteners.
 - Only drink alcohol occassionally
 - Incorporate exercise into my life

Time management
- Spend less time on Facebook, watching tv, surfing the internet.
 - Create a general game plan for the day.
 - Start to formulate patterns for my days, weeks, months
 - Embrace opportunities to spend time with my kiddos rather than looking at them as interruptions.

Anger/ Dealing with my children
 - Begin my day with an attitude of thankfulness (even when I don't feel like it.)
 - Invite God into my day & my day's activities each morning.
 - 'Catch' my kids doing good things.  Let them know when I see that.
 - When I feel angry or frustrated, be conscious of using and even, calm voice rather than yelling (which only exacerbates the situation)

Pray.  Pray.  Pray.

Doors

I have a little notebook I started keeping around the time that I was taking a class called "Exploring the Prophetic" at church.  The class was somewhat out of my comfort zone.  I grew up in what I now know would be considered a cessationist church....a church that believes that the more charismatic spiritual gifts ended with the new testament, prophecy among them.

Opening my eyes to the possibility that God can still speak to us through the prophetic today was a stretch for me.  I started the class with a good bit of skepticism & cynicism.  I think we've all seen the questionable 'prophets' on the internet or tv who claim to have words from God.

I'll have to write more about the class and what I took away from it at another time.  But, I did come away believing that God can still speak to us today in a variety of ways.

I had started keeping a little journal of words that I believed God had for me.  I hadn't written much in the journal in the last several days because I'd been feeling...disillusioned?  cynical?

How did I know I was really hearing God?  How did I know I wasn't just making this stuff up in my head?  And, if I AM communing with God, then why can't I get a grip on the areas where I struggle?  Like with depression...and food?

A couple weeks ago I was reading in Revelations.  And, I came across Revelation 3:7-8.  It was Jesus speaking in the section where he was addressing the 7 churches.  It says,

"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of thim who is holy and true, who holds the key of David.
What he opens no one can shut and what he shuts no one can open.
I know your deeds.  See I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.  I know you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name."
I had heard many people talking about God opening doors for them.  But, I always figured it was just a nice sentiment that people have come up with to describe God's faithfulness.  Yes, here it was, out of Jesus own mouth.

"And what he opens no one can shut.  What he shuts no one can open."

These verses affirming His sovereignty over all things was very soothing and comforting to me.

I had even shared that verse with others over the last couple weeks to people I felt would be touched by it.

Then, over the last couple weeks I've sunk into a funk.  This winter has been hard on me.  It may only be seasonal depression.  But, the depression is still there...and it stinks. And, I haven't been communing with God like I should.

It  may seem odd, but one of the things that has been on my mind so much lately is the question of adoption.  There is a part of me that feels we are meant to adopt one or two older children into our family.  Is God really leading us in this direction?

There seem to be so many barriers.  Financial barriers.  Time barriers.  But, most of all, my own failings as a mother...as a person...seem the largest barrier of all.  How can I even consider bringing a child with extreme needs into our daily chaos?

Then, today, I came across the latest post on A Holy Experience, Ann Voskamp's blog.  She had a guest writer for this post.  The title was "How to Walk Through When You See No Way."

The author discussed this topic of how God opens doors.  That it is our choice whether or not we will walk through that door.  That often all we have to go on is our faith that God opened it.

He references this same scripture in Revelation.  The words he wrote were already speaking to my heart.  The fact that he referenced this same scripture that spoke to me so profoundly a couple weeks earlier only confirmed in my heart that this was a word God had for me.

Then my eyes fell on a part of the scripture that somehow I had skimmed over before.

"I know your deeds.  See I have place before you an open door that no one can shut.  I know you have little strength yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name."

I know you have little strength.  It was as though God was speaking directly to me.  He knows!  He knows I'm weak.  He knows that I don't see how I could possibly walk through any of the doors He opens.  He knows and yet He still opens that door.

I don't know if one of the doors He is opening is for adoption.  But, I take comfort in knowing (being reminded really) that He knows my weaknesses and He promises to be my strength.  He can still use me even in my weakness.