The real blog killer is probably my VIP Readers Club. If you want to get all the free and discounted offers, that's where to head. I'll post here too, but as you've seen, I'm not always on top pf things over here.
I finally took the Christmas tree down. It's always a poignant moment for me, a marker that divides years and eras--(the years of paper and macaroni ornaments, the year I discovered the Pier One After-Christmas ornament sale and stocked up on a few elegant pieces, the year Tom's father passed away and we inherited some heirloom glass balls, and growing family years where the new ornaments reflected marriages, births, and developments in children's lives. Our new ornaments reflect our empty-nester period as we collect one new item from each place we visit--a silver Capitol from our nights in D.C., a silly beachcomber from a cruise, things from Niagara Falls, and Chicago's Tower.
The day I pack everything away is really my New Years beginning, when I evaluate all the previous year provided and taught, and losses we suffered through--of friends who've passed, of family members who may not be with us the next time we trim the tree. And then I imagine all the new year may bring. I wonder what changes will come to our family, friends, and nation, what adventures we'll have, and what trials, My thoughts move on to goals, some immediate, some more long term, and on to curiosity over what new adventures and memories will bring new ornaments to our tree in the coming year.
It's a big day. A slightly sad day that marks the final end of the holidays, when the sparkling tree no longer brightens the long winters' nights. With faith in God, we trust that hope and love and anticipation will bring their brightness instead, as we make each day meaningful, moving forward to the day when we open the Christmas ornament boxes and bins once more.
Wishing you a merry and bright year going forward.
Laurie
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