What Happened When We Became #frontyardpeople

We became #frontyardpeople last week as we cleared out closets, crawl spaces, and our garage for a three-day yard sale. I had spreadsheets and hundreds of price tags, to-do lists and even a layout of our driveway planned for Thursday so we would know where to put the tables. It took a village to make it happen, with donations of borrowed tables, clothing racks, and canopies from 6 different homes.

I spent time on Pinterest figuring out the best places to advertise, how much change I should have in our cash box, and when we should start posting signs. I spent hours organizing, pricing, and praying for good weather.

It’s not that we aren’t in our front yard, or friendly with our neighbors. We wave and say “hello” when we pass on the road or when we take walks. But we never spend a significant amount of time doing anything that would encourage them to stop by for awhile and chat. We’re the house with the huge privacy fence around our backyard, which is as much for Madi’s safety as it is for our privacy.

But a yard sale? Well, that is the kind of front yard activity that invites neighbors, friends, and family to stop by and visit. So we set up our tables and filled them with the items we no longer used but knew could find a good home. We welcomed people with a smile and met new friends who live on our road, and reconnected with neighbors we haven’t spoken to in awhile. People purchased items they loved and, when Madi had her lemonade stand for Feeding Children Everywhere, they gave generously. My favorites were the young men who didn’t find anything they wanted at the sale, but came over to buy lemonade to support FCE, or who donated their change from their purchase to help buy meals for kids.

There is good in the world, and much of it showed up in our driveway last week. 

There was laughter and haggling, introverted exhaustion and not nearly enough coffee. But at the end of it all Madi was able to donate enough money to our church to pack 300 meals for children – including donations from her own piggy bank -and we now have closets that no longer attack us when we open them.

A yard sale might not seem like a significant way to use your gifts to serve your neighbors, but what if it’s exactly what they – and you – need? It’s a no obligation invitation to gather for a bit, and you can use your gifts of hospitality, service, creativity, accounting, organizing, baking, or generosity to love those who step into your driveway. They may come looking for a coffee pot, or purchasing the only clothing they can afford for their children, but if done well they’ll leave feeling seen and appreciated.

Learn more about what it means to be “front yard people” in my friend Kristin’s new book “The Turquoise Table” available TODAY!