small things

i've felt really blessed in a few of my recent purchases. none of them were big things, but they were enough for me to sense God's attention to even small details in my life.

a couple weeks ago, i wanted to get a down comforter (well, actually 2-one for me & one for gramma) at the ikea sale. since this was my first visit to ikea, i was excited. i had the dilemma of skipping church & getting there when it opened or going to church & risking not getting my comforter. i decided shopping wasn't a good alternative to church, so i went to church. it was such a good decision, as i appreciated the fellowship, was blessed by the music & was encouraged by the message. the pastor spoke about living in the present & choosing to enjoy each moment (psalm 90) which is exactly what i needed to hear. as i left the church parking lot, i felt a great deal of peace & knew that i had chosen well. even if it meant i didn't get my comforter, it would have been worth it. however, i DID still hope that i could have both.
when i got there, i learned that people had gotten there at 7:30 (it opens at 10) and when i arrived (at 10:45) they were sold out. i was disappointed, but looked around the different aisles, trying to still enjoy my first visit to this store. when i neared the end of the maze of aisles, i discovered three lines & learned that they were for the unclaimed comforters! i quickly hopped in line, and was actually first in line for the twin comforters. however, i doubted my ability to claim two comforters as i had hoped. but as i waited, a woman came up, holding two twin comforters. she had changed her mind about wanting them, and wanted to know what she should do with them. the ikea employee told her she could give them to the people in line. since i was first in line, i got them both!! =)

this past week, i decided it was time to get a new coffee cup. my purple one has been serving me well for five-ish years now, but the seal isn't working so well & it seems like it might be time to retire it. i knew i didn't want to spend a lot on it, so i decided i would just start looking, not expecting to find anything right away. when i went to church yesterday, they were selling coffee mugs for $5, in the hopes that people would bring these, to decrease the amount of paper cups used. not only are they green (my first color choice!) with scripture, but they were the perfect price! i hadn't even looked at all, when God blessed me with this mug. i used it today & it was simply a delight.

lastly, i went to goodwill a few weeks ago, and this happened to be a goodwill going out of business. and while i was not happy for the circumstances under which this happened, i was so blessed to find a number of fun additions to my wardrobe for $2 each! in order to clear the racks, everything was $2 or less.

when i look at how God has blessed me in these small ways, i can't help but be confident that he will be faithful to me as i begin look for a place to live (& decide where that will be!), as i start prepare to say good-bye and as i begin get ready for the next adventure. i know we're just beginning march, but if the past two months have indicated anything to me, its that time flies.