Well, yesterday was a sad day at Hamewith. Our Christmas tree was taken down. The trunk, and what pine needles remain, now adorn the curb.This Christmas tree was our best ever (said about our tree every year!) Oh, how we love our fraiser firs...the beautiful smell of pine, the ornaments, from years gone by, gently hanging from the boughs...
Every year our kids get a new ornament, commemorating something from the past year. It was a tradition that my parents did with us (and you thought it was Hallmark's marketing idea). Each year we pull out ornaments and our tree is suddenly filled with memories. The years of French Horn, ornaments from Howard and Marie Hanson...my precious Sunday school teachers (currently in Kenya on a missions trip), Christa Berg's little brass ornament to me the years we we BFFs...
It seems horses and Hello Kitty are well represented these days on our tree.
Someday we will say, "Remember when..." as we look at our tree, have tree light dinners, and sleep under the glow of our tree's lights, taking in each ornamnet and what it means to us...the memories each one evokes.
I think I am a bit sad to pack away the beauty of Christmas and the memories that I hold so dear, and yet...there is no living in the past. Our dear friend, Frank Naea, says that we must walk into the future backwards...seeing where we have come from. (It is really an old Maori saying, it encourages us to look at our heritage as we take on our future. )
So, as I pack up Christmas, I choose to remember the incredible blessings of the past as I enter into this new year. It really is exciting to see how the things those ornamnet represent, have shaped who I am today. God, you are faithful, oh so faithful!
5 comments:
Hey Vickie! Love your musings about your ornaments and the special memories you are making for your family. (love to see some pics of your kids!)
Your blog has been added to my favs... I'll be back often. :-)
whoa! So that made me sad.. ha! This was the best Christmas tree so far. I can't wait till next year!
...more blogging, please!
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Hey Vickie - I am was so glad you found me on facebook. And now I find you in the Blogging world! I love blogs!! Its such a great way to connect with friens and family all over the world! Anyway, this was a great post. We have the same tradition! It is really a special time. It is great seeing pics of you and Todd and your kids and hearing what you are up too these days! So how far is where you are in NC from Atlanta? Anyway, stop by my blog sometime if you get a chance! And pleast tell Todd hi from me! Blessings to you guys! Teri Henderson Sommer
Hello Vickie! This is Alexis, from the Minnesota team.
I lost a lot of things on the way back to Minnesota (I'm really really sorry about this!) including your letter to Mary.
I've given you a friend request on facebook, so ok that and I can give you her e-mail adress.
Sorry, again!
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