Surprises*

On Wednesday nights there is an auction and the offerings range from furniture to paintings to lamps to jewelry to boxes stuffed with a lot of junk and maybe some interesting additions.

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Bidding for the boxes rarely exceeds $ 5, and some times only $ 1 or $2. The last box I got had old watches, Christmas ornaments, plastic vases, and a roll of 35 cent stamps. There are a hundred stamps in a roll, so my $ 2 investment yielded me $ 35 in stamps.

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I love bargains and surprises like that. I love knowing I've gotten something of value (if only to me) at a good price.

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Which brings me to this true story of a couple who wanted to use their retirement money wisely, so it would last, and decided to buy a home and a few acres in Portugal.

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The modest farmhouse had been vacant for 15 years; the owner and wife both had died, and there were no heirs. The house was sold to pay taxes.

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There had been several lookers but the place had a large barn with steel doors that had been welded shut. Nobody wanted to go to the extra expense to see what was in the barn, and it wasn't complimentary to the property anyway.......so, nobody made an offer on
the place.
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The couple bought it at just over half of the property's worth, moved in, and set out to tear into the barn. They bought a generator, and a couple of grinders and cut through the welds of the giant steel doors, their curiosity increasing. What was in the barn?

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At a value of $35 million dollars, this collection of antique cars took care of any retirement worries. The couple had rights to it, free and clear. Can you even imagine?

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The moral of the story of my stamps and these cars is to not hold back, not be restrained, not be surprised so the universe can decide to hand you a surprise.

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Surprises are everywhere once you let yourself zone into them. Renee Khan is a surprise. Who knew she would spin her loving magic into the hearts of so many of us, affirm our capacity for love and friendship and playfulness and community in a way most of us never imagined?

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So today, in the midst of a tough week, praying for Renee, preparing to lose her, please don't forget that magic is all around you. Sometimes you have to hold your hand up high and make a bid, but sometimes that turns out to be a very tiny price.

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Love to all,

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kj

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*so now I have to tell you the story of this couple is a hoax! i looked it up on the internet and it's true these cars are in a barn, in Portugal, dusty and ignored, but they belong to an auto dealer. There is no happy couple. Does this qualify as a SURPRISE?!!!

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darn it kj, check your facts before you post about them!! ♥