Thankful Thursday: Stuff of the Free and Reduced Price Variety

It may well be that I’m too in love with stuff. It may well be that I’ve bought into the materialistic American dream (I finished David Platt’s Radical this morning and have a bit of thinking to do on the thesis of said book.)

But the truth is, I’m very thankful for the stuff I’ve got–and especially for the stuff I’ve recently been given or have acquired at a reduced price.

Today I’m thankful…

…for a lovely time in Boston with Aunt Joanne and Uncle Paul and for the stuff they blessed me with–

—two quilt tops pieced by my great-great-aunts, now being sent into my keeping (Anna and Grace and I will have to get them all quilted–and then haggle

–a camera with a working viewfinder, which Joanne gave me, completely unexpectedly

–a folding umbrella which Joanne and Paul forced on me on my way out the door–which served me well in that last day of Boston rain

…for the multitudes of FNCE paraphernalia, particularly–

–the canvas bag with a relatively innocuous California Raisins logo

–the water bottle from the honey board

–the vegetable seeds from Monsanto

–the lunch bag from the American Heart Association

–the LTC pocket reference that I bought at reduced price

…for the household stuff and clothing I got at Goodwill this past evening–

—seven shirts ranging from long sleeve sweaters to ultra-wicking athletic shirts

–a boyfriend cardigan in comfy gray knit

–another smart jacket for those business-y days

–a pair of ultra “sexy” jeans (just ask my Grace-bug, they’ve got her stamp of approval)

–two pairs of comfy lounging pants

–a long red nightgown

–a red fabric belt to go with my cute yellow shirtdress (and, as Gracie says, with…well, a lot of things in my closet)

–a dust ruffle for my bed

–four awesome towels to be made into bath mats for my bathroom (which is going to look amazing when it’s done)

–two flat sheets, also to be used in making bath mats

–a valance for my bathroom

–a new piece of blueware to add to my collection

–a nice big wooden shelf–that’s going to hold my blueware in my bathroom (once I’ve painted the shelf navy blue, that is)

—three picture frames (that only need minor modifications before they can be used in my new bedroom)

And best of all, I love that I was able to purchase all of this for under $60!

Of course, I’d be remiss in telling of all the free and reduced-price items I’ve received if I didn’t express my thankfulness for the ultimate in free gifts:

…the gift of right standing with God, purchased by the blood of Christ.

…the gift of heavenly citizenship, won by blood not my own

…the gift of adoption, sealed by the Holy Spirit through no act of my own

I’m thankful to God for the things He has graciously granted me–but even if all these things had never been given, or if they should all in an instant be taken away, I should still have more than enough. For God, in His grace, has chosen to give me the gift of all gifts, Himself.

**In the interest of disclosure, all the free stuff obtained at FNCE was obtained from companies/organizations who had an ulterior motive in offering me free stuff–namely, getting my stamp of approval on their items/products. While I am grateful for the free items given me, I do not necessarily agree with the positions of all of said companies and organizations. As always, views expressed on bekahcubed are my own.**