O Christmas Tree

My Christmas tree has been up for quite some time now. I am just now taking it down. As I was doing so, I starting to think about all the wonder and magic that is present when we put it up as a family and what a chore it is as I take it down alone. A month and a half ago I looked at each ornament and recalled memories. Today I see how many I can take off at one time without any of them breaking. I also started to notice a few...like the angel made out of toilet paper...huh...really? LOL That always brings me to the thoughts of my ever growing children. Like when Reagan declared she only had six years of school left and the ache that promptly starts to form in my chest. I tried to imagine what my tree will look like when everyone is grown and gone. Will it be one that matches and has beautiful decorations all symmetrically placed? I think of how beautiful yet boring that tree would be.

I can hardly believe this Christmas season has come and gone and here we are starting another year. I feel like it went passed me in a blur and didn't even really "feel" like Christmas. So now as I take down this tree, instead of a chore to be done, I am taking the time to remember the past year and all of its great memories. The ways my family has grown and the individuals in it. I am thankful that at this stage I "get it." Time goes fast and that is helping me really treasure each moment instead of racing from one thing to the next. Yes we are busy, but even in the activity there are moments and like Mary did in the Bible, I hope that I too will tuck these things away in my heart and remember them always.

I am blessed beyond measure and yet I look forward to this next year with excitement at all God has in store for us. Some things we have gotten a glimpse of and after I put the fear aside I can say I am truly excited. There are other things that haven't been discovered yet, adventures planned, and moments to tuck away. If I have one resolution it is this: to get all I can out of each moment and each day that God gives me. To live in the present and really live this precious life...