One of the online groups I belong to is called Heavenly Hand Me Downs. People post photos of what they are offering, with a price, and sometimes in a matter of minutes someone wants to buy it. Or pick it up if it is free. I have participated in both directions, snagging good deals as people downsize or clean out closets. Sometimes it is merely a matter of their son outgrowing his boots. 

This week the girls and I wound baskets of yarn into balls, and I kept a small portion of them for making dolls. The other colors made a sizable pile, and I took a picture. I expect some resourceful knitter will be by soon to fetch them.

I looked at the drums and shakers that John brought back from Africa and gave them the one year test. Had they been used? No. 

Click. 

In a surprisingly short time there was a list of three takers, who actually intend to make music. Bravo. I will come to your concert and clap. 

There is another online venue for classified ads specific to quilters, and I posted pictures of some of the antiques that I no longer need. Well. Need is a strong word. The number of quilts I can see from where I am sitting right now is more than forty and less than sixty. Plus I am on the first floor where there are no beds. Not to mention that the prediction for today is the mid nineties. It would be a tough sell to say I need more than three per member of the household, but I am not going there. 

Sometimes it takes attention to even notice the things that inhabit our homes that have value. While I have successfully ignored the drums and yarn for a dozen months, simply posting their pictures caused a bit of a stir. Which raised their worth in my eyes. 

When we highlight the attributes of people we love to others, it can draw our fickle attention to them as well. 

"My husband does the shopping in our family," you might say without trying to impress anyone. 

"He does?! That is great. What a blessing that must be for you."

"Oh? Oh. Right. It is." 

But it is up to us to click the mental shot.