Craft Faire 2.0

So, I did it.  I came, I crafted, I sold, and I'm done--for now.  Oh wait, except for the dozen custom orders I have to fill in the next few weeks.

 

Craft faire 2.0, aka the 13th Annual Baker St. Christmas Craft Faire, went better than I could have expected.  I felt so validated in my craft (umm, that sounds haughty, but it isn't meant to be), had some great adoption conversations (and a few not so great ones), and earned more than I had hoped for our fund.  SO thankful!!

 

Much like last time, I felt like my heart was on the table.  Not just the hand-warmer hearts I had sewn either.  The first few hours, whenever anyone read my sign I teared up.  It is a funny thing to be so vulnerable in front of complete strangers.  I think know I'm better for it.

 

 

I am coming away from last weekend with three main thoughts:

 

1.  God is faithful to answer prayer. 

People, I prayed like crazy that this weekend would be fruitful.  It was!  In so many ways: (1)I worked hard, found time to do things when there seemed to be none, and got to share that hard work with others.  (2)I met a lot of really wonderful people who eagerly encouraged and supported this adoption adventure we're on.  (3)I blew my financial goal out the roof!  (4)I got to spend good time with some great friends.

 

I could not have imagined coming away from this weekend seeing so much good. 

 

2.  Most people have nice things to say, some do not.

Yes, I'm going here.  You know, most people are kind and encouraging.  That's a good thing.  Others, however, have nothing nice to say or are at very least unable to hide their judgment. 

 

Remember my post on the motherland?  Well, I've found this to be one of the hardest parts of the adoption to date.  People don't like to hear that we're adopting from the US--like it is somehow less worthy to adopt a child from America than it is to bring one home from Africa.  I experienced this in various forms this weekend.  To be honest, I didn't always handle it the best.  Sometimes I made an excuse, sometimes I just stuttered along, and sometimes I felt defensive.  It boils down to this--we're doing what we feel called to do and any child without a family needs one.  Period.

 I don't want to have to justify our country of choice to people.  So I am not going to.  People have no idea how hard it is to choose something like this.  There are no bad options...just so many children that need homes, and from every corner of the globe.

3.  I have really good friends.
It's not like I didn't know this before.  I did.  It's just that during an event like this it would be easy to feel alone.  I did most a lot of the creating myself (correction:  my mom made a ton of crochet items, for which I am VERY thankful) and I manned the booth by myself.  Except I didn't...a lot of the weekend I had one of a various number of my friends there with me, encouraging me with their presence and their words.  What a gift. 

After the first day I said I wasn't going to do this again.  I think I changed my mind.