It has been busy over the last four days since I picked up the Christmas tree someone was giving away. The meet up on Friday was good, even though there was construction and I missed the turn into the post office, I didn't panic! I learned where the post office is in my town, however, I typically use the station in the next town over because it is three miles closer to my house. While I was there, I texted someone that was interested in a crockpot I was selling, unfortunately they didn't respond. When the person pulled up with the tree, I could hardly contain my excitement, but I tried to respect her time and space.
When I got home, I was mentally exhausted by the outing, but I wanted to set it up! It is pre-lit, came in three sections, and a stand. She also gave me a bag of ornaments and decorations. I was still on the fence about going through my ornaments that I have amassed over the last 40 plus years. Once I set up the tree, I just sat there and admired it, thanking God for making this happen. I am so grateful that this kind soul decided to gift this tree instead of bringing it to a thrift store or throwing it away. I kept thinking of what a neighbor told me about something else, "just do a little at a time," so I thought instead of feeling overwhelmed with decorating it, I would just wait until Saturday!
As I sat there admiring the tree during the afternoon, I decided the least I could do is look at the bag she had sent along. I took each ornament out one by one, and I couldn't believe the beautiful things she had gifted me. I started by attaching a small shiny foil wreath to my front screen door. I had no idea my front door was metal until I tried to put a push pin in it, so that is why I chose the screen door. Looking at the bright red, gold, and green ball ornaments, I decided that this was the fresh start I needed! There is no doubt in my mind these were heaven sent, and I couldn't wait to decorate.
The last post I wrote about Christmas, I chose a cover photo (below left) that took over thirty minutes of looking for something that resonated with me. As I was putting the balls on the tree (below right), I realized these were so similar to the ornaments in the picture I chose! These were different than what I ever had, and I thought they were really pretty. I didn't think I would actually have any like those in the picture, but they were peaceful!
After these were distributed best that I could, I found an angel holding a book. Considering my thoughts on angels, which may be a post in the future,, and my middle name is Archangelina, I just loved it's simplicity and shine. It really is inspirational. The next ornament I took out of the bag was a church! I took my drill and put some holes to poke lights into it, and some small holes to make it look like the church is open. That turn out to be a fun activity! I took the drill out of the bag, attached the battery, selected the drill bit, drilled a hole, took the battery off, put the drill and bit away, and went in to try it out. I would go through this same procedure four more times. I don't know why I just didn't leave the drill out until I was done, but I didn't. It came out perfectly!
I continued to pull out the ornaments, a few I decided not to use, but I hope to gift them to someone at the flea market this coming Saturday. Then, the ornament I pulled out of the bag was so reassuring that this tree and ornaments were an answer to prayer. It was a solitary gold drum, that sparkled with color in the light. Travis, my son that passed away, was a drummer, and we played, "Little Drummer Boy" at his funeral. When looking for ornaments, she could have not possibly known how special this would be to me. However, God knew what I needed. It also gave me clarity on what to do with the ornaments from years past— pack them up and send them to my boys!
It has been unusually cold, and I wondered if my two light blankets would be enough to keep me warm. In addition, I have continued going outside for thirty minutes, and it is getting easier when I want to go somewhere, to go without too much internal debating. I sorted the ornaments by child, and found just enough tissue paper, and bubble wrap to make a nice package for each of them. Travis' ornaments, I repacked and stored. I didn't have any boxes, so I had to get creative. I remembered seeing a cardboard box in one of the bins I haven't unpacked yet. I had no idea what was inside, and I didn't realize I had never opened it. Another problem solved, it was a blanket—a twitch blanket! I didn't recall ordering it, so I looked on Amazon, and I had ordered it 27 December 2019. According to the invoice, I earned a gift card at work, along with my employee discount, to pay for it. At least now if I get too cold, I have another blanket! I can't wait to start streaming again, but for now I can be comfy! How great is God!
With the box from the blanket, I constructed two boxes. I looked online to see which would be cheaper, UPS or the Postal Service. As I was trying finishing packing the boxes, I got a notification to pick up groceries from Walmart. A minute later, the woman who wanted the crockpot messaged me—she was in the area. We decided to meet at the pharmacy near my house and Walmart in only five minutes! The boxes of ornaments would have to wait! She was right on time! She gave me the $10 and I gave her one of my cards. She had a really kind presence, and it took away the anxiety of meeting.
It was a very long wait at Walmart, but I wasn't too bothered. Once I got home, it was back to the ornaments! I had another box to return to Amazon, so I decided to use UPS. Wrong move. When I got there, it was really crowded, the store did not have internet, and could only take cash. I wanted to find out how much the boxes would cost to ship, and I would come back later. It was frustrating because the agent didn't understand when I mentioned a flat rate, I had to pull it up on my phone to show him. I had no idea that the UPS store was not UPS—they use the same logo! Even though UPS has a simple rate, and it was affordable, the UPS store was more than double. I kept calm and decided to go to the post office down the road. I was pretty happy how well I handled the chaos of the UPS Store, so on the way to the post office, the $10 crockpot money went to a good cause—at least I prayed it did. Arriving at the post office, I quickly became overwhelmed when there were so many options. I didn't even have the kids names or addresses on the boxes because I thought they were going to go UPS. I saw boxes that were free to use, and thought about using them, but it was hard to decide because I couldn't find the shipping cost for them. I started walking around looking on the walls, then I finally saw the prices, about the same time another customer asked me if she could help me find something.
We started chatting, as I often do, and we had a really nice conversation. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to write their names on the boxes, or if there was a form. As we continued to chat, I found a pen and wrote the boys names and addresses best I could, but it wasn't working to well because of the tape on the box. When I got finished, we parted ways, each expressing how our day was better meeting each other and talking. It was soon my turn at the counter! The one agent, looked at me, said he would be back in a minute, but then the other agent became available—she was great!
She only has five years left until retirement, and I could really empathize with her, as I used to work at the post office. We had a nice chat. She told me I needed my address on the front, instead of the back. Thankfully, she offered her marker that would write over the tape! During checkout, I was even able to get the money I will need to sell at the flea market on Saturday. Some people can instinctively calm anxiety, whereas others can stir up anxiety! We finished our business, and she walked out with me, turn and said no regrets! I responded that I never have regrets—which I don't—she said good! I headed home really proud of my 90 minute outing today! Over the last four days, I have had face to face interactions with about fifteen people! It is still a challenge to go outside each day, but I can really see the progress I am making. As I sit back, look at the lights on the tree, and reflect on this past week, I know there is only one part missing in my life. I hope the kids enjoy the nostalgia the ornaments are sure to bring—expected to arrive in 3 - 5 days, according to the post office!
Matthew 6:8
"Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."
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