A Season For Peace

I decorated for Christmas last night and brought out some ornaments that I haven't seen in the past several years.  Christmas 2001 was very difficult because I lost two people that I dearly loved.... and every Christmas since then has been too painful for me to celebrate. 

I have a very talented aunt who is a porcelain artist and every year she used to paint all her nieces and nephews Christmas ornaments.  Oh, how I looked forward to this tradition!  In the days leading up to Christmas, I wondered what beautiful treasure my aunt had lovingly prepared for me.  These special ornaments, especially, bring back many wonderful memories of Christmases past - and the knowledge that those days are gone forever.  I keep all these special ornaments in a beautiful Christmas box and for the past nine years this box has sat on a shelf in a closet.  Last night I sought out this box.  

I don't know why I decided that now was the time to bring them out, but I did.  I'm glad that I did.  I shed many, many tears.  I grieved for loves ones dearly missed....and I washed myself clean of the grief.  Each ornament that I unwrapped was a long lost friend...a memory revisited.  As I placed them carefully on the tree, I felt the love that I thought was gone forever....and when the tree was fully decorated, I realized that those you love will always live on in the magical memories that you shared.

Now I can enjoy this holiday season to come with a renewed hope for good memories yet to come.  I wish all of you a peaceful holiday this Christmas season.