Today my kids and I were needing to kill a bit of time, so we headed to Value Village (our version of GoodWill). I love thrift store shopping when prices are cheap, too often for the price I find something at Value Village I can buy it brand new on clearance. That annoys me!
Anyway, so we’d done the rounds looking for legos, skis, “butterfly” shirts (shirts with big floppy sleeves-I remember them as angel sleeves), and jeans, so we were walking the perimeter of the store to the checkout. We, of course, detoured past the craft stuff (I left it all there) and into housewares – I was just glancing over the dishes to see if anything jumped out at me. Let me take you on a short bunny trail: my mom has a thing for purses, mine is for tote bags; my mom has a thing for bowls (all sizes, and no more than 2 the same-drives me nuts!), yet mine is for plates. Not big plates, but saucer size and salad plate size (they stack, no matter the size). We don’t use dinner plates, except for serving. Back to Value Village in the housewares… I see these plates, a batch of two with a rubber band. They’re saucer size, don’t have a cup indent, and have beautiful flowers on them. I LOVE flowers, real flowers, pretty much all of them; but when it comes to photos/items pained floral I’m picky.
Okay, I’m taking you on another bunny trail: My dad’s mom loved flowers as much as I do. This love of flowers has been ingrained in me since before remembering meeting my grandma (at age 7). It is a tangible connection I have even now with my grandma. I loved my grandma dearly, she passed away eight years ago now. I know she is in Heaven with a new, well, healed body, but I’m selfish and I still miss her. When I see certain batches of flowers, or a certain kind of painting, or type of tea cup/mug, maybe the way the sun shines through a window onto a batch of flowers – those memories of being a child from 7-14 years of age coming rushing over me, it is as if it were yesterday. Those are the years our family lived in northern Wisonsin, living near my grandparents. It is the way I remember her, so many, many years ago (20+ years). I greatly loved my grandma and I still miss her.
I picked them up to discover they were sitting on another batch of two with a rubber band, salad plate size – really, my two favorite sizes? My breathe caught, they were so pretty! And, there were two of each – one for Christine & I; or for a treat with a friend & I (just need to find teacup/mug)…depending on what the situation is at the moment. All four plates looked unused, no scratch marks, and still very evenly shiny. (By the way, I left the two dinner plates that matched there :-D)
I decided I really wanted them, but I wouldn’t pay more than $5-7 per set – and if they were $5, then I was only going to get one size. In other words I wasn’t going to pay more than $5 for plates I didn’t need, I just really wanted them :-D. All the other plates I thought were interesting were $5.99/$6.99 for a single plate, I took a deep breath before checking the price, and guess what?! The two little ones, $.99; the two bigger ones, $1.29 — that made $2.28 for all four! That is my kind of deal!! I was so stoked, it wasn’t even a debate in my mind. (not even taking the four and leaving the two bigger ones) My kids saw my face and agreed, “just get them mom”. My mind was SCREAMING, “God, you are so funny! Not only did you let me get ALL of them (when I don’t need them) – You gave them all to me at less than half of what I was willing to pay for one!”
My kitchen walls are dark brown/red, and the other accent/decor is khaki/burlapy/vintage mini roses/tea cups/etc. Not dainty, more rustic. Our other plates are an avocadoy green, dark brown/red, and off white, our bowls are off white — so it really does all go together. Once summer comes I can take pictures in my kitchen, but until then they really don’t turn out.
I know they are just stuff, but when I see them it is the “ache/catch/thought” that causes me to take a long, slow, deep breath and just say “Thank You, Heavenly Father. Thank You for giving me a grandma who made You her focus, taught me, and loved me so dearly.* Thank You for all of your provisions”. A lot of my reaction is due to the painting on these plates, they remind me of my grandma. He IS in the little things! I know plates are so insignificant in the grand scheme of life, yet He knew it would make me so happy. Their coloring totally goes in my kitchen with my other colors and pottery.
{fast forward several hours} – I’ve taken my kids to see The Lorax, we’ve gone to get groceries, and now we’re home making pizza for our Friday night pizza night. This whole time, I feel just a bit giddy, like a dork who can’t quit thinking of the good deal God gave me today. So, I’m washing dishes and while washing the new plates, I turn it over to wash the bottom side – guess what, they’re Cheri Blum! It shocked me – Cheri Blum is the only artist who I’ve ever consistently seen a picture/painting and it catches my breath; I even had checks of hers once, it was the only time I ever paid full price to re-order the same checks. I had no idea!
*I don’t in any way mean my parents didn’t, but grandma understood me. I got my creativeness from her, she & I were very similar in many ways – physically and mentally.
