A flea market is an interesting experience. Dominick and I had a spot to sell items to raise money for the church. There were sellers like us, people who only came on a very occasional basis, but mostly there were people who were sellers each and every week with items ranging from the real junk to the very expensive.
There are two theories on the origin of the term: One is from the old markets near the East River in New York, originally called “fly markets” because of the flies that hovered around. Another theory is that the term comes from the French “market of fleas” due to the fact that previously used clothing contained fleas.
What’s interesting are the conversations with buyers looking for bargains. We talked with people who asked about the church and those who had deep questions of faith as they went through items to buy. Some were clearly living on the edge, others out for a day’s walk out of curiosity. The experience brings you out of your bubble, to be sure.
Prayer for the Day
Looking about the world, O God, is always enlightening,
For the variety of human beings speaks to your immeasurable limits;
Encountering those about us opens us to new questions,
Ones that we may not have considered before.
Grant us, O God, the recognition and acceptance of all we meet
As equally valuable in our eyes as they are in yours,
In the name of the One who reached out to all,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
The beauty of the universe consists not only of unity in variety, but also of variety in unity.
Umberto Eco, from The Name of the Rose, Italian medievalist (1932-2016)
Life is neither static nor unchanging. With no individuality, there can be no change, no adaptation and, in an inherently changing world, any species unable to adapt is also doomed
Jean M. Auel, American writer
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
The moon and the stars that you have established;
What are human beings that you are mindful of them,
Mortals that you care for them?
Psalm 8: 3-4