When I was a missionary I discovered a talent I hadn't known I possessed: It is the ability to take junk and make something wonderful with it. I covered a beat-up old couch (and made throw pillows to boot) with nothing more than a closet full of abandoned clothing and a couple of old sheets -- no sewing involved. I turned a hideous old dresser into a work of art. And, in my greatest moment, made a doll and a stuffed turtle using nothing but an old comforter, one white sheet, a small scrap of floral material, a bag of cheap saffron rice, some Kool-aid, and a tiny sewing kit (one needle, a couple of buttons and some white thread).
My fascination with (and talent for) making new things out of the old continues to this day. I suppose that is the reason I have such a great love affair with our local Goodwill stores (and, of course, antique and thrift shops of every stripe, not to mention the many children's re-sale events that occur every spring and fall in our part of the country, and, of course, yard sales).
There are five Goodwills that I visit regularly. The first, the one I think of as 'our' Goodwill, resides in the shopping center that sits at the entrance to our neighborhood. I stop in three or four (or more) times a week. My favorite Goodwill is down in Middletown, a 20 minute drive, although there is another Goodwill "superstore" in Elkton, Maryland that, I think, would be my favorite, if I didn't have to pay taxes there.
Goodwill has provided us with a nice couch and overstuffed armchair, a TV stand, coffee table, bicycle, electric piano, and countless books, toys and clothes.
