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Every Day is Precious: Sale's encore is donation to family in need
By ROB PAYNE
For Williamson A.M.
It's a vicious cycle.
I used to think my wife loved shopping. Then I found the only thing better than shopping is finding a bargain. Then, silly me, I found the only thing better than getting a bargain item is being able to resell that item for 75% of its original price, justifying spending twice that to buy something else.
And it starts again.
The anthropologists who labeled the males of our species as the hunters and gatherers never went to a children's consignment sale.
There you can find some of the most cunning and resourceful hunters on the planet: bargain hunters. And not a man in the melee.
Marcy used to love consignment sales. Last February she was getting ready for the largest in our area, Encores and More, when preparations were cut short for her first trip to the hospital. This was the first of a series of hospital visits that culminated with her having a tracheotomy and being placed on a ventilator at home.
Marcy has participated in the Encores and More sale since we moved to Franklin almost 10 years ago. She has repeatedly told me that I'm not a good enough shopper to actually go to the sale (as if I had wanted to.)
But I have a good enough back to have carried mini-van loads of ''stuff'' (last year's bargains) to the sale location before the event. I have seen what must be the ''promised land'' of bargain hunters: a school full of rows and rows of children's toys and clothes lined up like a farmer's field ripe for the harvest.
I've also been strong enough to pick up the few items unsold after the local locusts have decimated the crop in a matter of hours. I can only imagine the throngs of people waiting in line prior to the doors opening. In my mind I can hear the seasoned veterans saying, ''I love the smell of a bargain in the morning.'' (Ever see the movie Apocalypse Now?)
We were shocked when organizers of the event called us to tell us they had heard about Marcy's illness. They wanted to know if it was OK to donate part of their proceeds to Marcy's care.
When they asked, there must have been an uncomfortable pause. It felt like I was taking my High School SAT's again. Was this a trick question? Why wouldn't we accept this blessing?
They quickly explained that they didn't want to do anything to offend or upset Marcy. I checked with Marcy and we quickly said OK. A few weeks after the sale, they sent us a check that was very helpful in the fight against this disease.
If you want to experience bargain hunting at its best, the next Encores and More sale starts July 21 at Freedom Middle School. Details and tips are at www.encoresandmore.com.
If someone you know is going through some troubling times, consider talking with the organizer of a local event and find a way to donate a portion of the proceeds to the family in need. Even if you are not the world's best hunter, you can gather some blessings for those in need and for your self.
Every Day Is Precious is a column to remind us to treat everyone we see today as if it could be the last time we see them. It is written by Rob Payne, whose wife, Marcy, was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) in August of 2000. Now 40 years old, she has gone from winning 5 and 10K races to being quadriplegic and on a ventilator at home. For more ways to help others, to find more about Marcy, or to receive email updates on her condition, visit www.everydayisprecious.com. Readers may contribute to her care by sending donations to Every Day Is Precious, 2051 Harvington Drive, Franklin, TN, 37069.
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