Fundamentally Ornamental

I just love Christmas ornaments. For me, they are not only decorative and nostalgic, but they represent so much more.

You see, I spent many more years being single than the "average" married adult and those single years proved to be both gifting and challenging. Holidays were usually difficult, so one year I decided it would make me feel good to buy a tree for my apartment and decorate it - just like the other "normal" people did. Well, I can't tell you how many people tried to talk me out of it. "Oh, just buy a little table top tree." they would say, "What do you need with a big tree and all those decorations if it's just you?" Ouch. That's all I needed to hear to decide: I was gettin' a tree.
Over the years I've collected ornaments that were meaningful - or just pretty, and when Iain and I met, we started collecting an ornament to represent each year of our relationship, as well as for each place that we traveled to. I even have ornaments that I remember buying on a field trip in pre-school!

So, for me putting up the tree isn't so much of a chore, but a privelege - and a reminder of so many different chapters in my life - especially those filled with whispered prayers for marriage and children to be in my future. So, this Christmas, as I live my answered prayers in a very real way, I honor my Christmas tree - and all the pieces of my life which it symbolizes. I also remember in prayer all those people who are single -and want to be married, as well as those without children - who want to become parents.