It’s almost two weeks after Christmas, and today I finally took my decorations down. What a task! Garland, bulbs, lights, and figurines scattered across my table as I packed away for another year. As I put everything back in its place, I couldn’t help but smile.
Taking the ornaments off my well-adorned tree, I took a moment to ponder my treasures. “Baby’s 1st Christmas” ornaments from 32 years ago were being packed away with a “Baby’s 1st Christmas” ornament that was bought brand new this year. Hand-made ornaments from school took their place beside beautifully adorned ornaments that were bought in lovely gift shops or given as precious gifts. Ornaments that marked “First Christmas together” and “ First Christmas in our new home” are now packed away with ornaments from all the wonderful, memory-making vacations we have taken. What a sweet thing it is to take a walk down memory lane. What a joy it is to have all those sweet memories tucked inside my heart. They will be packed away until next year, when I will take them out and smile over them all over again. Most likely, something new will be added to the collection that will have a special meaning of its own.
Life is a lot like that. We have special moments, special memories, that we tuck away and revisit on occasion. Along the way, we acquire new moments to add to our recollections. And as we walk through this life, experiencing the joys and hopes, pondering the special moments we have passed through, our Father in Heaven is right there. He is like the tree. He is the base of our lives. And when those special times come our way, we add that ornament to our tree. We place them on those evergreen needles, we secure them tightly, and we stand back and admire the view.
My prayer for you is that your tree is well adorned…that days, months, and years are filled with special moments tied with beautiful bows and hung on the branches of your life. And that sometimes, amidst the busyness of life, you have time to take them, one by one, and really appreciate them, and that you remember those moments with a smile on your face and joy in your heart.