My Seven Dollar Praise

It has occurred to me lately that I have not praised my Lord enough for the little things, even though He is providing them everyday. The majority of the time they slip by completely unnoticed. Not today.

Way back in May when I went to the CHAP convention I was able to purchase pretty much my entire curriculum for the new school year, which in my house starts July 9th. I happily grabbed Singapore Math, Story of the World and lots of other things. In my overzealous joy, I goofed a little. Once I got home I discovered that I had purchased two of the same Earlybird Kindergarten (Singapore) books (there are 4 in the series for the year). Therefore I had "1A", "2A" and two "2Bs", but not a "1B" in sight. For those of you with a command of the English alphabet you are aware that after "1A" comes "1B". So, just buck up, stop my whining and buy the one I forgot right? Well, okay.

Here's the thing. Unlike some curriculum, you cannot simply waltz into the nearest bookstore and purchase it like you can at a homeschool convention. You have to order it and pay shipping. This is only an $8.00 workbook. Paying shipping will annoy me to no end (for those of you who know me well, know that I am notoriously cheap and constantly looking for any way to save a buck; it's genetic). What is a girl to do?

I called Rainbow Resource, the Mega-mart of homeschooling, that I bought the duplicate workbook from in the first place, pleaded my case and asked if there was any way possible to buy the correct one without paying shipping. After all, I had just paid for quite a bit of curriculum from them at the convention. The woman, while very nice, had no clue how to handle my request and asked if she could look into it and call me back. A month later, I have not heard back.

I looked into Amazon, since I could certainly get some other needs at that site totaling $25.00 and get free shipping, hence killing a couple birds with one stone. Nope. They don't sell it directly. Another door closed.

Just for kicks I hit e-bay, but as most homeschoolers know, e-bay can be a feeding frenzy when it comes to finding what you need at a bargain, curriculum wise. Most times people wind up paying more than buying their item elsewhere after the bidding has died down and shipping is paid. The thrill of the bid can take control. But, what the heck? I could at least look.

There it was, in all of it's shiny colorful paged glory. A brand spankin' new "1B" and there was only one listed. There were also no bids on it. Could it be a mirage? A siren's song? Would I get lost in a bidding war in the last minutes of the auction and wind up paying $20.00 just for the thrill of an e-bay victory? I cautiously placed my bid with baited breath.

Four days later and many page visits to check on my rare treasure there were still no bids. Could this be real? Would the Lord of the Universe really drop a Singapore Math book in my lap for just $7.00 after shipping costs? He could and He did. After praying about trying to be more fiscally conservative and less "caught up in the thrill of the purchase", He rewarded my prayers and provided my need. Doesn't He always? Why do we usually fail to notice?

My newest goal is to try and be more aware of the little things that He provides. They happen every day. Enjoy your day and praise your King!