After my garage sale was over, I posted a few remaining items, for free, on Craigslist. The first response I got was from Barbara. She was interested in a set of shop lights I had advertised. In her e-mail she said that she was looking for as many items as she could find. In the fall the VFW in Lakeside, CA is having a rummage sale and Barbara is in charge. The VFW hall is in need of handicapped bathroom facility and the money from the rummage sale is going to this cause. 

I immediately e-mailed her back and told her she might have struck the “Mother Load”.  I told her I had many things left over from the garage sale and They were her’s for the taking. Later that day we met in the driveway of my home. When I opened the garage door, her eyes lit up. Barbara told me that they had been having trouble getting people to donate and she couldn’t thank me enough for the donation. Three loads later they were done.

I received an e-mail from her shortly after. In this e-mail she told me that when others noticed the generosity of my donation, they started to donate as well. Now they have so many items for this rummage sale, they have rented a storage locker.

I have been thinking often about this small event in my life. Have you ever heard the comment “one person can make a difference”? Whenever I think about the garage sale and Barbara’s comment I remember the above phrase. In that moment maybe, just maybe, my donation did make a difference. It made people sit up and notice that someone had donated a lot of “stuff” to this upcoming rummage sale and maybe it was their turn.

When I mentioned Barbara and this upcoming event to Phyllis, a good friend, she has also decided to donate items to this event. Once again by sharing with others, making a difference spreads. If Phyllis shares this with others, then once again her actions can make a difference to the VFW in Lakeside.

I am glad to think I could have made an impact, no matter how small, for a good event. I hope that I can remember this rummage sale and remember that I can make a difference again, in another time and place. It only takes one person. It is good to reach out and donate, time, money, gifts, items and knowledge. It makes me feel good and I certainly felt a bit lighter after everything was gone.

Barbara and her son came back for one more load of items since that first visit to my house. I feel like we got to know each other and we shared a moment of our lives to a good cause.

I hope the rummage sale is a grand success. If I was in town I would certainly attend it. I told Barbara she should have a plaque with her name on it, in one of the handicap stalls. She has decided she wants a chandelier.😀

As I begin to prepare to travel north, I will try and pay a bit more attention  to other opportunities that will make a difference in my life and a difference in others lives. I may never realize the impact on others, yet I can certainly realize the impact on myself and my life.  I hope, that carrying this knowledge will help me walk a bit more gently among others, and that I will be a bit kinder toward myself and continue to reach out to others when the opportunity arises.