Penny Pumpkins

In preparation for our upcoming events, I (Joy) planned to purchase some pumpkins to help with the decorating effort. I knew we couldn't afford to buy full price pumpkins so I eagerly awaited the passing of October 31st when I hoped they would be reduced.

On Sunday, November 1st, I noticed pumpkins at Walmart that had been reduced to just $1. "Just as I had hoped!" I thought. I mentioned to Timmy that we should probably buy them right away. However, he nonchalantly suggested we wait a while. I was agitated on the inside but reminded myself that usually when Timmy says or does something that doesn't make sense to me, I usually don't regret having followed his lead. So I chose to not voice my disapproval that we weren't scarfing up the bargain pumpkins.

However, as the days passed, I began to search for pumpkins at other places, only to find that everyone was sold out. No pumpkins anywhere. I wondered how I would decorate without pumpkins. How could I make our place look warm and welcoming with just a bale of hay?! I began to regret my silence just a few days earlier when I was perched directly in front of plenty of pumpkins that were just $1.

As the week drew near to the end, I decided to call the Walmart where I had spied the $1 pumpkins. The sales associate said the pumpkins were still there but the manager told them to throw them all away that day. Much to my disappointment, we were scheduled to be processing almost 100 chickens that day so it would be impossible for me to leave for the one and one half hour round trip to buy pumpkins. My thoughts went from, "God must have not wanted pumpkins this year" to "That sure didn't do me any good to be silent when I should have told Timmy we needed to get those pumpkins right that minute!".

After processing, I decided to call the Walmart one more time and ask if they disposed of the pumpkins as planned that day. What a lesson God had for me in following my husband's lead. The manager decided to further reduce the pumpkins to just one penny each! Imagine my delight as my good husband drove me to the Walmart 45 minutes away after an exhausting day of processing chickens to purchase 78 pumpkins that only cost 78 cents. I hope the reminder to follow my husband's lead won't fade when the pumpkins make their way to the pigs and cows after Thanksgiving is over. May I long remember that God often works through our husbands in ways that are not discernable to us as wives, working out the details both great and small for our ultimate good and His glory.

I'm so glad to see that God did want pumpkins this year!