A Night of Reflecting

Tonight my mind is flooded with memories of loved ones who are not with us any longer.  Apparently, exhaustion makes ones mind wander. I have been putting in very long hours at work, preparing for Christmas services, and have more to go. I know it will be worth it, but tonight I am a very weary soul. I am also a weepy soul. I saw a photo of almond bark, of all things, and thought of my Gram. She made 3-4 treats a year out of that stuff so the photo made me think of her. Since then, my mind has gone to all my grandparents, my father-in-law, dear friends and family members, and our dog Maddie who left us in April, and I am remembering and reflecting, and shedding tears. I think of friends who have lost both parents since Summer and how their Christmas will be this year. I think of those who have lost their children this year, and how they must be overwhelmed with grief. "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" came on the radio tonight and I thought how while it is because of Jesus and the gift of His life and love to us, it is also a lonely time of year for many. 

So, be there for others. Look at them, notice them, offer a smile, a helping hand, a listening ear. You don't know what is going on inside that person's soul or what they are facing. Kindness goes a long way, however. Be kind. Be loving. Give the gift of a smile. You never know how your kindness will touch or affect someone. If you know a single parent, give them a hand by either watching their kids, giving them a gift card, or lifting their load in some way. If you know older people who are alone, go spend some time with them, touch their hands, look them in the eye, and listen. If you know someone who has lost a loved one this year, just let them know  you are thinking of them. 

Spread love. Give. Be present. 

And if you need a reminder of what Christmas is all about, here is a reminder:

Oh Christmas Tree

As I decorate our Christmas tree tonight, I am overwhelmed. Our tree isn't an elegant tree.  It isn't a tree that any designer would recommend.  Our Christmas tree would not be featured in any home decorating magazine.  But honestly, I don't care.  Our tree is a memory tree.  It's filled things that fill our hearts and minds.  It's filled with years upon years of memories.  Nearly every ornament we hang on our tree represents someone and something special.

We have handmade ornaments from the years we did youth ministry with 5th and 6th graders.  Perfect, no.  Beautiful and from the heart, yes. As I hung those ornaments on the tree tonight, I remembered the love in the eyes of the kids who gave their special creations to me. Those 'kids' are now in their late 20's. Our tree has precious ornaments from our grandparents. There are handmade ornaments from our parents, and our nieces when they were wee little ones.  Our tree has handpainted ornaments from my husband's dad, who has been gone for nearly fifteen years now.  The ornaments that adorn our tree all have a memory attached to them. 



One Christmas in our early married years, things were pretty tight.  We had a lot of medical bills that year, and wages were very lean. We had many speed bumps in life that year, particularly the latter part of the year.  Three weeks prior to Christmas, the UPS driver showed up at our door with a box.  I hadn't ordered anything, as there wasn't money to order anything, so I did not know what we were receiving. I opened the box and it was a beautiful octagon box that had old time Santa Claus pictures all over it.  I opened the box, and it was filled with twelve beautiful ornaments.  I grabbed the box to see who the sender was, as I knew these ornaments had to be fairly pricey. There was a company's name. I searched the box for a card, but there was not one. When my husband arrived home from work that evening, I showed him the ornaments and asked if he had ordered them. He said no. We called both sets of parents, grandparents, but no one knew anything about them. The following day I called the company listed on the shipping address. The kind customer service lady looked it up and said they had the order, but that the order came from us. I said we didn't order them. She looked a bit more, and said "well, they must be from Santa so just enjoy them, and please keep them." I offered to send them back, but she insisted we keep the ornaments as apparently their company sent them by 'mistake' but it was their mistake, so therefore, it was a gift for us to enjoy.  We did, and twenty years later, we still do.  I think of that hard year every time I pull the box out, and how God knew we needed that little reminder that even in the hard times, the lean times, there are gifts around us, we just need to enjoy and appreciate them. We also need to take the time to see them.

We have one wooden dog bone on the tree that has the name CODY engraved in it.  Cody was our first dog after we got married.  He died a couple weeks before Christmas in 2001, so that ornament brings tears to my eyes as I place it upon our tree.  When I pulled out the bone that says MADDIE, I shed quite a few tears.  14 years ago, Maddie came to warm our hearts and home two days after Christmas.  She left a big hole in our hearts when she left this year, right after Easter.  Both Cody & Maddie LOVED Christmas.  They would get so excited when the Christmas boxes came out.  Maddie would spend every evening sleeping under the tree during the month of December. She was like a little kid.  Our new pup, well, let's just say she needs some work on this whole Christmas thing and not eating her stocking, the tree, or the ornaments on the tree. 

I love our tree. I love the memories that flood our tree. For each ornament, each memory, I am grateful. 

Please join my friends: 

Captured Bits of Beauty

What Marty Sees

Pollywog Creek