Every ornament’s a story – and I could talk your ear off for hours detailing the story, the memory of each and every one. Because these are my family’s stories. My kids’ lives told in yearly symbols of ornaments.Like the pink phone for instance? That one makes me smirk a bit because that was the year Hope lost at least three phones, one which flew off a rollercoaster, and one which was flushed down the toilet. Oops. Or the rocking horse. That was Zac’s first Christmas of being mobile and when he saw the horse he had just gotten out of the bath, and let’s just say he ran right to the horse and rode ‘bareback’ (bare bottom ) for the first time. He had lots of riding time on that horse, but only a few were ‘bareback, ha!) Or the Christmas carroller…that was the year Aus made it to All-State Chorus. And the handmade wreath with the picture of Josh? That was one of his years to choose the Christmas tree. We rode up to the mountains and he picked my favorite tree ever…the most Charlie Brown tree you’d ever want to see. It even fell over a few times before Christmas, but all survived (except maybe a few ornaments!)
Yes, every ornament has a story. And bringing them out makes me literally smile and remember and laugh every single solitary year. (I promise that tears are shed every year. Just something I need to accept.) Because some of these ornaments bring up the sweet sweet memories, and some of them bring up the ‘what ifs’, and some of them bring up the ‘I wish I hads”…but that’s the beauty that’s wrapped up in this season. Cherishing what is, remembering what was, and being thankful for what’s to come. Emmanuel. “God is with us.” In the beauty. In the laughter. In the loss. In the broken. In the not yet what will be. Emmanuel. “God is with us” in all of it. Every single story that was and is and will be…He knows all the stories of my ornaments…and unseen moments…because He was there. Emmanuel. “God is with us.” And that’s what I’ll celebrate as I look at my beautiful tree, remembering that this season is about just that…Him being present through it all, and that’s the greatest present of all.
Blessings on a not-so-Silent Sunday ❤
Heather
soletusknow 