December 1984:
A young couple sit together in their tiny apartment discussing their decorating plans for their first Christmas as husband and wife. The ink on their marriage license is barely dry, having only been married for three months. They are both college students and their only source of income is from his part time work with his father and the generosity of their parents. Their bills are paid and they have plenty to eat but frivolous purchases aren't made. Desire to make every experience special urges them to purchase a small tree only two feet tall. A strand of lights and a box of cheap wooden ornaments accompany the small tree back to the couple's home. The young wife cuts a star from yellow construction paper and her husband fashions an angel from a paper plate. A decision can't be reached on the choice between the angel and the star so the couple makes one of many compromises as husband and wife. The star is glued onto the front of the angel before they are both placed on top of the tree.
December 1985:
The same young couple travel to a Christmas tree farm and choose a beautiful tree to place in their home for their second Christmas. The earthy scent of the tree fills their home as they place the same lights and wooden ornaments on their tree. A new ornament is added to commemorate this year spent together. The young woman strings popcorn and cranberries to add as a garland for their tree. Memories are being made and traditions are being formed.
December 1986:
The couple now live in their third home. It is a small brown house two blocks from the center of their small hometown. A beautiful artificial tree is purchased for their new home. Pretty ruffled curtains hang on the windows of their home. A new living room suite, television, washer and dryer, a beautiful oak dining set and refrigerator have been added to their possessions since their last Christmas. A new ornament is added to their tree to honor another year spent together.
December 1991:
This year two ornaments are added to the Christmas tree. One ornament for the couple and one for their baby's first Christmas. Each year they have added a new ornament to their tree. Popcorn and cranberries are strung by the young woman like many years before. This is a special Christmas because it is their first year as parents.
December 1994:
The couple built a new house this year. It is their first Christmas in the home they have dreamed of for so long. Two new ornaments are added to their tree.
December 2003:
A new baby graces the lives of the little family bringing with him new experiences and new ornaments to represent them.
December 2011:
Two trees grace the couple's home. They live in their fifth home. Their two sons have grown. The oldest is a sophomore in college and the youngest is eight years old. Three ornaments will be added to a tree that is already filled with 27 years worth of ornaments. One of the cheap wooden ornaments is hung on the tree along side many others that have been added over the years. There is a birds nest with a dove nestled in the branches of the tree. It was made by the woman when she was nine years old. Beside the nest hangs a beaded ornament made by the man when he was nine years old. Ornaments that represent babies first years, tee ball, a trip to Disneyworld, a new job, graduation, the first year of college. A lifetime of memories fill the tree.
I came across that first star angel when we were decorating our tree. I have kept it all these years. It brought a smile to my face as I remembered how it felt to be 18 years old, sitting in the floor of that tiny college apartment cutting that construction paper star to put on our bare tree. God has blessed me more than I deserve. That young girl could never have imagined how full our Christmas tree would be someday, filled with the ornaments that represent the memories we have made together. Our Christmas tree has been ever changing like our lives. Someday soon our oldest son will move out and begin his life as we did. He will carry all his ornaments with him when he goes and his first Christmas tree will be filled with memories of Christmas past.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Thankfulness
As I started to write this post tonight I began to reflect on this past year. I found myself thinking of all the bad things this year has brought to my life and the many things I have lost. That could have been the beginning of my annual spiral into holiday depression but it wasn't. Before I was totally wallowing in self pity I thought of a verse from the Bible.
Immediately, God reminded me of all the blessings this year has been filled with. My baby had a successful surgery and has made great strides in therapy, my oldest is half way through his second year of college, my husband was given a steady paying part time job to supplement our income, our family is healthy, my Sweet G is making great progress in school, we have a home, plenty of food to eat, we had a pretty good little garden that is still producing food and enjoyment for me, I have had a million laughs at the things Sweet G has said to me, enjoyed morning snuggles and bedtime stories, had close to 52 "campouts" with Sweet G (T filled in for me on a couple of Friday nights), I celebrated the 27th anniversary of the day I married my best friend, made a few new friends, and made some more great memories with some old friends.
2011 has been bittersweet but then again isn't that a pretty good description of life? We wouldn't know the depth of our blessings without hardships to compare them to. I have learned a lot about myself this year. I also discovered the value that others place on me. I learned that blood isn't always thicker than water but the blood of Christ that covers my sin is binding. I am His and He is mine. Nothing can separate me from His love. I do have many things to be Thankful for! Happy Thanksgiving!
Philippians 4:8 (MSG)
8-9Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
Immediately, God reminded me of all the blessings this year has been filled with. My baby had a successful surgery and has made great strides in therapy, my oldest is half way through his second year of college, my husband was given a steady paying part time job to supplement our income, our family is healthy, my Sweet G is making great progress in school, we have a home, plenty of food to eat, we had a pretty good little garden that is still producing food and enjoyment for me, I have had a million laughs at the things Sweet G has said to me, enjoyed morning snuggles and bedtime stories, had close to 52 "campouts" with Sweet G (T filled in for me on a couple of Friday nights), I celebrated the 27th anniversary of the day I married my best friend, made a few new friends, and made some more great memories with some old friends.
2011 has been bittersweet but then again isn't that a pretty good description of life? We wouldn't know the depth of our blessings without hardships to compare them to. I have learned a lot about myself this year. I also discovered the value that others place on me. I learned that blood isn't always thicker than water but the blood of Christ that covers my sin is binding. I am His and He is mine. Nothing can separate me from His love. I do have many things to be Thankful for! Happy Thanksgiving!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Autumn Memories
Fall is here and it brought along with it memories of years gone by. Years of running and playing with T underneath trees adorned in beautiful jewel colored dresses. Soft breezes nipping at our noses causing them to turn red and become as cold as ice. The absence of summer's birdsongs make it almost too eerie to stay outside but we have hide and seek to keep us busy. I am content to be outside until darkness begins to close in around us because I have the king of the hill by my side.
The memory of another fall day comes into focus. I see a tow-haired boy about two years old running through a pile of leaves. His giggles rising above the sound of an approaching train. He is dressed in red overalls and a white turtle neck. His speech is filled with the sounds of y as he excitedly tells me to, "do it yike dis." Suddenly he is transformed into a cowboy and takes off "yiding a buwll" with his arm flailing wildly as his head nods back and forth bucking to the rhythm of the imaginary bull. Slowly the sun begins to set and my heart starts to break as we have to let this day end.
Memories of hayrides with fellow homeschoolers push themselves the the center of my attention. Bowls of warm spicy chili lend us their heat as they fill our stomachs. The sounds of children laughing float down to parent's ears as the adventurous children climb higher into the rafters of the barn over mounds of fresh bails of hay. Sweet songs and giggles dance into the night as a tractor pulls a wagon loaded with families nestled in sweet fresh hay. All too soon this day is over and reluctant children are shooed toward cars and home.
Six years ago we started hosting a Halloween party in our home. We have several special families that have come to our home year after year to celebrate fall with us. A traditional supper of chili and hot dogs is served before we all set out in my neighborhood for a fun night of trick-or-treating. There are special memories being made for adults as well as children. Each year is a little different as one by one our children grow too old to dress up and participate in the ritual of going from house to house gathering candy. This year our kids sat in the floor, sorted their candy, and began trading with each other. I sat and soaked in their energetic giggles and silly comments, knowing that there will never be another Halloween quite like this one.
The last memory comes into my mind in a rush. It is a cool fall evening after dark. Children begin to explore a haunted forest filled with witches and monsters and their screams fill the night. They play hide and seek until one by one parents arrive to retrieve them. This will be the last Halloween of their childhood. The next time Halloween will hold the same excitement will be years in the future when they take their own children trick or treating.
Life has a way of slipping by you if you're not careful. I find that it's the little spontaneous moments that keep returning to my mind. As I go through life I pray that I don't forget to stop and enjoy the simple pleasures a day can bring. They are always there waiting for us to seek them out, if only we will try. Ready or not, here I come!
The memory of another fall day comes into focus. I see a tow-haired boy about two years old running through a pile of leaves. His giggles rising above the sound of an approaching train. He is dressed in red overalls and a white turtle neck. His speech is filled with the sounds of y as he excitedly tells me to, "do it yike dis." Suddenly he is transformed into a cowboy and takes off "yiding a buwll" with his arm flailing wildly as his head nods back and forth bucking to the rhythm of the imaginary bull. Slowly the sun begins to set and my heart starts to break as we have to let this day end.
Memories of hayrides with fellow homeschoolers push themselves the the center of my attention. Bowls of warm spicy chili lend us their heat as they fill our stomachs. The sounds of children laughing float down to parent's ears as the adventurous children climb higher into the rafters of the barn over mounds of fresh bails of hay. Sweet songs and giggles dance into the night as a tractor pulls a wagon loaded with families nestled in sweet fresh hay. All too soon this day is over and reluctant children are shooed toward cars and home.
Six years ago we started hosting a Halloween party in our home. We have several special families that have come to our home year after year to celebrate fall with us. A traditional supper of chili and hot dogs is served before we all set out in my neighborhood for a fun night of trick-or-treating. There are special memories being made for adults as well as children. Each year is a little different as one by one our children grow too old to dress up and participate in the ritual of going from house to house gathering candy. This year our kids sat in the floor, sorted their candy, and began trading with each other. I sat and soaked in their energetic giggles and silly comments, knowing that there will never be another Halloween quite like this one.
The last memory comes into my mind in a rush. It is a cool fall evening after dark. Children begin to explore a haunted forest filled with witches and monsters and their screams fill the night. They play hide and seek until one by one parents arrive to retrieve them. This will be the last Halloween of their childhood. The next time Halloween will hold the same excitement will be years in the future when they take their own children trick or treating.
Life has a way of slipping by you if you're not careful. I find that it's the little spontaneous moments that keep returning to my mind. As I go through life I pray that I don't forget to stop and enjoy the simple pleasures a day can bring. They are always there waiting for us to seek them out, if only we will try. Ready or not, here I come!
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