December 10, 2011
Jeremiah 1:5 reminds us just when we think we know everything, God knew well in advance what was and is to come. Patricia Palacco reminds her readers in the great children's book, The Christmas Tapestry, that some believe that events occur just by happenstance. She goes on to tell the story of a husband and wife who were separated in Germany and come face-to-face through a series of events many years later in Detroit, proving that God does have a plan. Tonight, I was reminded that God can take my stupidity...choices I made long ago and turn it into a moment I will treasure the rest of my life.
Years ago after having already spent several years designing the windows for a local gift store, I decided to personally take my skills from the workplace into my home. Why shouldn't I? For many years, our family had hung Christmas ornaments collected since the girls were babies on various
trees that made their way into our home. The ornaments were the typical pieces....a pink satin ornament someone gave us the year Lacie was born in 1982, a cube construction paper ornament with Carlie's third grade picture glued to the side, and many more ornaments including Hallmark's Woody and Buzz Lightyear's introduction to the big screen. While memorable, the pieces did not reflect the work I did. If I created trees for hundreds of people to see, my work should also be on display at home. With t
hat belief system, all the ornaments were packed away and quickly replaced with a red and gold tree. I rationalized my decision by buying duplicates of each ornament I placed on the tree. With two daughters, why not make it easy for them 30+ years from now by letting them split the collection of ornaments since most of the pieces have a twin. At the same time, I would have a tree that matched what I thought our home needed.
I don't know what drove me to rethink my actions. It is probably because God knew that I needed a reminder to stop what I was doing to reevaluate the direction my life was going. With that in mind, I came to the decision that in my hasty decision to lead by example, I had taken away something from my daughters and wife. That realization confirmed my new belief system....that I had been very selfish. Maybe I might be a little wiser than I was the year I decided to make the big design change. Regardless, December 2011 was the year to drag out the family ornaments so that we could have our family tree back where it rightfully should have been standing for all of these years instead of being hidden away in the blue, storage tubs.
With a new mission before me, I was inspired to take the old ornaments, add a few glass ornaments in a rainbow of color and begin breathing life back into the family tree. Now I was ready.
Tonight, I returned home from work knowing that I needed to decorate the tree with pieces from the past. Upon entering the house, it wasn't long before Benson, my five year old grandson, daughter and son-in-law walked over from their house across the street to have dinner. After eating, I received help with the tree from Lacie and Benson. While each ornament was pulled out of the box, a story unfolded for Benson.....numerous ornaments were given to us by a dear, elderly friend who was like a grandparent to the girls, a Hallmark ornaments featuring baseball players because Lacie played softball, the bunny rabbit ornament for Carlie since she showed rabbits in Youth Fair. And then Hallmark's Cruella de Ville surfaced. Immediately, Benson explained that she COULD NOT go on the tree. When I questioned why, he said, “Because she is a bad person.” While he wasn't watching, Lacie quietly hid her in the back of the tree.
And then there was the ornament that I had made in the 70's while in my pottery class at Howard Payne. On the ornament, I had carved out NOEL. After the ornament was hung, Benson reported that whoever made the ornament did not write the letters correctly because the O and E were not to be capitalized. He then went on to explain which letters of the alphabet were vowels and that two of the letters in that word were also vowels.
Due to his height impairment as a five year old, he asked for me to lift him up so that ornaments could be placed up higher on the tree. As I sat him on my shoulders, he was tentative as he leaned over and hooked the ornament on the top branches. While he sat on my shoulders, I reveled in the awesomeness of the moment....my grandson on my shoulders....a moment in time to remember for a lifetime.
The tree was finished, and Benson left to go home. What he left behind though was a treasure that can never be replaced. If it took years of the family ornaments being stashed in a box for this evening to be created, it was worth it all. The beauty of looking into the innocent brown eyes as he expressed wonder about each ornament, his defiant attitude about Cruella being banished from the tree, and then the lone tree filled with 30+ years of memories....what a glorious evening it was, and what a beautiful tree I have standing in the front window. God knew that I needed this night to remember the importance of the little things in life.
As for Cruella? Two days later, Benson found that Cruella was enjoying the festive features of the tree and decided to remove her from her designated place in the tree. Each day she lays on the windowsill exactly where Benson left her. Ok, maybe this tree wasn't made for everyone.
Jeremiah 1:5 reminds us just when we think we know everything, God knew well in advance what was and is to come. Patricia Palacco reminds her readers in the great children's book, The Christmas Tapestry, that some believe that events occur just by happenstance. She goes on to tell the story of a husband and wife who were separated in Germany and come face-to-face through a series of events many years later in Detroit, proving that God does have a plan. Tonight, I was reminded that God can take my stupidity...choices I made long ago and turn it into a moment I will treasure the rest of my life.
Years ago after having already spent several years designing the windows for a local gift store, I decided to personally take my skills from the workplace into my home. Why shouldn't I? For many years, our family had hung Christmas ornaments collected since the girls were babies on various
trees that made their way into our home. The ornaments were the typical pieces....a pink satin ornament someone gave us the year Lacie was born in 1982, a cube construction paper ornament with Carlie's third grade picture glued to the side, and many more ornaments including Hallmark's Woody and Buzz Lightyear's introduction to the big screen. While memorable, the pieces did not reflect the work I did. If I created trees for hundreds of people to see, my work should also be on display at home. With t
hat belief system, all the ornaments were packed away and quickly replaced with a red and gold tree. I rationalized my decision by buying duplicates of each ornament I placed on the tree. With two daughters, why not make it easy for them 30+ years from now by letting them split the collection of ornaments since most of the pieces have a twin. At the same time, I would have a tree that matched what I thought our home needed.I don't know what drove me to rethink my actions. It is probably because God knew that I needed a reminder to stop what I was doing to reevaluate the direction my life was going. With that in mind, I came to the decision that in my hasty decision to lead by example, I had taken away something from my daughters and wife. That realization confirmed my new belief system....that I had been very selfish. Maybe I might be a little wiser than I was the year I decided to make the big design change. Regardless, December 2011 was the year to drag out the family ornaments so that we could have our family tree back where it rightfully should have been standing for all of these years instead of being hidden away in the blue, storage tubs.
With a new mission before me, I was inspired to take the old ornaments, add a few glass ornaments in a rainbow of color and begin breathing life back into the family tree. Now I was ready.
Tonight, I returned home from work knowing that I needed to decorate the tree with pieces from the past. Upon entering the house, it wasn't long before Benson, my five year old grandson, daughter and son-in-law walked over from their house across the street to have dinner. After eating, I received help with the tree from Lacie and Benson. While each ornament was pulled out of the box, a story unfolded for Benson.....numerous ornaments were given to us by a dear, elderly friend who was like a grandparent to the girls, a Hallmark ornaments featuring baseball players because Lacie played softball, the bunny rabbit ornament for Carlie since she showed rabbits in Youth Fair. And then Hallmark's Cruella de Ville surfaced. Immediately, Benson explained that she COULD NOT go on the tree. When I questioned why, he said, “Because she is a bad person.” While he wasn't watching, Lacie quietly hid her in the back of the tree.
And then there was the ornament that I had made in the 70's while in my pottery class at Howard Payne. On the ornament, I had carved out NOEL. After the ornament was hung, Benson reported that whoever made the ornament did not write the letters correctly because the O and E were not to be capitalized. He then went on to explain which letters of the alphabet were vowels and that two of the letters in that word were also vowels.
Due to his height impairment as a five year old, he asked for me to lift him up so that ornaments could be placed up higher on the tree. As I sat him on my shoulders, he was tentative as he leaned over and hooked the ornament on the top branches. While he sat on my shoulders, I reveled in the awesomeness of the moment....my grandson on my shoulders....a moment in time to remember for a lifetime.
The tree was finished, and Benson left to go home. What he left behind though was a treasure that can never be replaced. If it took years of the family ornaments being stashed in a box for this evening to be created, it was worth it all. The beauty of looking into the innocent brown eyes as he expressed wonder about each ornament, his defiant attitude about Cruella being banished from the tree, and then the lone tree filled with 30+ years of memories....what a glorious evening it was, and what a beautiful tree I have standing in the front window. God knew that I needed this night to remember the importance of the little things in life.
As for Cruella? Two days later, Benson found that Cruella was enjoying the festive features of the tree and decided to remove her from her designated place in the tree. Each day she lays on the windowsill exactly where Benson left her. Ok, maybe this tree wasn't made for everyone.
