Musings

Today's post could be titled Frugality, Fashion, Family, Friends and the Faithfulness of God.

Today we had our bi-annual clothing sorting day at my mom's house.  We keep our girls' clothes in my parents' attic so twice a year, we bring it all downstairs.  (Or rather, we ask the men to bring it down for us!) Then the women do the work of sorting and supervising the giant fashion show. With three girls-- my sister, Bekah (12) and my girls, Maddie (9) and Alaine (3 on Sunday!)-- it is a huge and tedious job. Hours are spent having a girl  try on yet another pair of pants or holding shirts up to the light to check for stains.  More time is spent folding the things we are finished with and figuring out if either of the girls can wear a certain sweater or if it needs to be put back in the attic... or maybe passed on to another family.

The girls think it is a party. What's not to like?  Hang out with some of your favorite people while you dance and twirl around the room wearing new-to-you clothing.  Alaine was our shoe girl today.  Between each different item, she would say, "Now what about some shoes?"  She didn't care if the only shoes she could find were boots that were six sizes too big!

The older girls enjoyed posing and finding coordinating outfits among the jumble of jeans, scarves, socks, sweaters, and t-shirts. 

They laughed and twirled and tossed out a few opinions.  "Yes, please keep that owl nightgown!"  "Um, I'm a little bored of that dress."

Despite all the fun and the fellowship and the fashion (and the small bits of frustration at how slow the process can be at times), I was sobered to think how blessed we are.  Blessed to have clothes to wear.  Blessed that we have room to store what we're not using.  Blessed to have friends who pass along what they are done with to share with our family.  Blessed to have more than we need and be able to pass our surplus along to others.  Blessed that our children are healthy and well.  Blessed that God provides every little thing we need. 

Each year we joke, "I'm not sure there will be as much this time.  This might be the year the girls have nothing to wear."  But of course, that is never the case.  Each year, the Lord provides.

Last November, Alaine went through a growth spurt and needed 3 things:  a pair of pajamas, a bigger pair of shoes, and several longer pairs of pants.  Money was tight with Christmas coming and Brian's winter time off from work.  I didn't tell anyone, but I prayed that God would provide what we needed without us needing to spend the money.  That very week, a friend e-mailed and asked if we were interested in a bag of hand-me-downs.  In the bag?  Three pairs of pants in Alaine's size.  Then my sister called, saying she was out shopping and wondered if Alaine would like a pair of pajamas for Christmas.  Then on Thanksgiving Day, my sister-in-law brought some things her girls had outgrown, including a pair of boots in Alaine's size. 

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? "  (Matthew 6:28-30 NIV)

His faithfulness is new every morning, every week, every season.