I needed to get out of the house and temperatures were too cold for even a quick walk, so I decided to go Goodwill hunting. I've been collecting several items and hoped they had put more on the shelves.

First I headed for the linens to look for cloth napkins. I serve on the Steering Committee of Christian Peacemaker Teams. We're conscious of waste and throwing things away. One Peacemaker Congress hundreds of people ate from the Joy Field Farms gardens and threw nothing away over several days of meals. Dishes, cups and stainless were brought from a local church (It's amazing what one finds in those seldom opened cupboards!) and we took turns hand washing dishes each meal. Our registration packets included a cloth napkin. Table scraps went into the compost. On the way home, my carload stopped at a fast-food joint and the four of us threw more away in that one meal than we and hundreds of friends had during a three-day conference.

Our last Steering Committee meeting was at a college in Georgia. We brought water in huge tubs from the snack shop and washed our dishes on the balcony in the sun, companionably snapping towels and wit. However, the napkins we used to daintily wipe our lips were paper. So, I've been collecting cloth napkins to take to our next meeting. Maybe I bring them home to wash-haven't figured all that out yet. But it has been fun seeing how many different cloths I can get so we can tell our own apart from each others.

Next item to check for was the mugs. Typically there are dozens. I keep a 20-gallon bucket of mugs around for meetings where people might otherwise use throw-away cups--which are small, make liquids taste funny and clog our dumps. It's easy to bring the mugs home for washing.

One of the first times I used a bucket of mugs was our county witness on the square before the beginning of the Iraq war. It was bitterly cold and we stood on the corner holding signs (including the "Pray for Peace, Act for Peace" flag <https://www.os.mennoniteusa.org/advanced_search_result.php?simpleSearch=1&keywords=flag>) for an hour. Students from the College of Wooster walked to the square and walked back home. I offered the simple kindness of hot chocolate in mugs to keep our hands and spirits warm.

On to the vases. I'm collecting some for the Peace Advocate exhibit at our biennial convention. I'll fill them with peace lilies and beta fish (or something more friendly) so there is something green to give off oxygen and something moving for the little ones to watch while their parents browse. But today there were no vases the correct shape. Oh well. Last time I found three and I've gotten pickier. I also didn't find an apron. I get covered with flour and tomato splashes in the kitchen more often than I do laundry and had decided a second apron would be a good investment.

I have to admit that I looked at the clothes while at Goodwill and came home with a sweater and a skirt, each costing about $3.50. It's that time of year when a new sweater helps me get through the winter/spring/winter yet again doldrums. I'm not encouraging overconsumption, but refreshing a wardrobe by recycling gently used clothes with the money going toward a good cause doesn't feel too materialistic All told, I spent just over $10 on this trip and unexpectedly had a great conversation with a friend who needed to talk.

I've chosen to shop at Goodwill (and MCC and other thrift stores) for a myriad of reasons. In addition to low prices and the mission of the stores, I am reusing things that might otherwise end up in a dump. I free up money so our family can be more generous with our donations. It's one way to have fun while living a bit more lightly on the good earth God has given us.