Being Careful of Doors

No big secret around here that Tom and I love yard sales. That we currently lack imagination to do much of anything else besides shop yard sales and watch movies (we went and saw The Words yesterday. Enjoyed it, learned good lessons from it.).

But half the fun of yard-saling is driving past cute houses like the one, above, or this one:

...or even being able to step inside such places to buy things at estate sales, where as I've already told you, I spend more time just walking around snatching decorating ideas and enjoying the nostalgic colors and moods. Or stepping into backyards, like I did yesterday, where river waters lapped the edge of the lawn. Happy sigh.

And too, we meet the nicest, kindest people at yard sales, folks we wish we knew as friends. Couples or best-friend-neighbors we wished lived next door. Western New York is packed full of people like that.

But thank-goodness it's so very rare that we attend a yard sale like one yesterday where 4 or 5 women stood around, well, gossiping about various folks they all knew, a bit like this: 

"I know it's not easy to keep a neat home, but the least she could do is ...on... and... on... and on...", "Yes, it's time for them to step down. They're not running things like we believe they should." Or, "And do you think I got any thank-you's for what I did for them? Not a one. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah."

I couldn't take it. Their (too loud) words hurt my head and made my stomach queasy. I longed to plug my ears while browsing the tables, but then I realized I didn't even wish to buy anything from these people. I told Tom, "I'll meet you in the car. This gossip is bothering me too much."

And oh, how good to escape to our car! To my newly-bought books:

... to the peace Tom and I know in those front seats, to gratitude, to quiet joy.

Oh, if only we all could see the doors to bad places which gossip opens. Doors to reaping what we have sown--to people gathering around, speaking about our faults. To criticism where we have unfairly criticized, to a lack of mercy when we so need it, yet finding it missing because we planted none for the sake of others.

And other doors to darkness, as well.

But how much better to wildly fling and sow all the good seeds we can each day. To bless others with our words, to encourage them. To hold them up when they're so near falling. Oh, what blessings await us when those seeds take root!

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