Unsuspecting Wardrobe Donation

On March 16th of this year, our family made a journey to Logan, Utah so we could be sealed together for all time and eternity.  We were sealed together in the beautiful Logan temple.  (Why do we have temples?  Click here.)  It was a beautiful, spirit filled day that I will never forget.  Now I have the opportunity to be with my sweet husband for all eternity, instead of "til death do us part".  And I also have the opportunity to be united with my family for eternity.  This brings a tremendous amount of peace and security to my heart.

This change and this peace brought something else with it, a literal change of attire.  When we returned home, I went through my closet and got rid of any clothing that I had that was immodest in one way or another.  Perhaps that dress was a tad too short, that neckline too wide or too low, or that top was sleeveless and I couldn't cover it up without making it ... well, ugly.

I ended up donating about 18" of wardrobe space.  This is a huge deal for a lady that only had 2 feet of space to begin with!  I was left with just a couple of dresses, and maybe half a dozen drab shirts to wear.  Most of what remained were cardigans or sweaters and jackets.  I had always considered myself to be modestly dressed, so this was a very eye opening experience for me.  I literally had no idea how much of my wardrobe would no longer be wearable.  I knew a few pieces would no longer work, I didn't realize it would be the majority of what I owned.

As difficult as it was to empty my closet, I found myself being grateful for several things.

#1  What I was gaining in blessings would heavily outweigh what I was giving up in clothing.  

(And most of it was clothing I really was never attached to anyway.)

#2  The items were all being donated.  Somebody else would be able to grab them and love the pieces I had a hard time parting with.  Those items still had a lot of love to give somebody!

#3  This donation basically required that I start building back up my wardrobe again.

I am not a shopper.  In fact, I hated clothes shopping at that time.  Nothing I bought was ever what I really wanted.  It was just cheap (quality and price), and what was being offered at our local stores.  No matter how much I now needed to build up a wardrobe, the task was excruciatingly daunting for me.  But I made a promise to myself.  I wasn't going to purchase something unless I loved it.  And I was willing to wait and save up for when those pieces appeared.  

I found a website that has many clothing items I adore.  I've been able to add 3 dresses, 3 shirts, 2 cardigans, and a couple pairs of shoes to my diminished wardrobe these past 8 months.  This is more shopping than I've done in the past 3 years combined.  And better yet, I love the pieces.  I feel like they are reflective of who I am.  When I wear them, I feel like me.  I feel good about myself.  It has been amazing to me to see what a difference clothing can make on the way I feel about myself.

These past few months I may have come across as always shopping.  And I may possibly seem over excited to share a new find.  Yet this is exciting to me.  I have more than 6 shirts I can wear!  This is a big deal!  For the first time in my life, I'm actually enjoying buying clothes.  I'm looking forward to adding more pieces to my wardrobe.  I'm feeling more comfortable in my clothing than I ever have before.

Indeed, this has been a surprise blessing that came from the necessity to change the type of clothes I was wearing.  I never would have known at that time, just how happy it was going to make me.  And to think it all began with a simple desire to have my family together forever.

I am blessed.