February 3, 2009

We had the best adventure ever picking our tree, almost too much for a non-thrill seeker such as myself.  You wouldn’t believe the mud that we went through, that I heroically cleaned…

The Lord provided a few tender mercies this season.  One was the most blessed family did the twelve days of Christmas for us.  This melted my worried and tense heart, from financial and school burdens which were weighing me down.  And this blessing coincided with a tender mercy afforded by my sparce tree. 

When we chopped it in its entirety, it was a charm.  Sawing off the bottom branches, swiped out a good 1/3 of the tree, because those branches swept up, upwards to five feet.

Every time I looked at it, I felt agitated.  I had a tree last year that was a Charley with character.  I wanted a beautiful tree this year.  My dissatisfaction  was dampening every Christmas charm that could come my way. 

I thought of all the lessons I could learn from this tree being half gone, and they irritated me.  Really I could learn those things other ways!  I was  upset at Riley for cutting them off, because there was a good foot that the tree had from reaching the ceiling.  As far as I was concerned those bottom branches shouldn’t have been cut off!  I was angry at other dissapointments with Riley’s career that were all coming in on me. 

“I plead to the Lord, I really balled and said I need your help so this tree won’t get on my last nerve, or any nerve, please help it to be beautiful to me!!”

He did it, somehow, and at first, when I looked at the tree, I pictured the rest of it was hiding behind the couch.  And it helped me think, focus on the positives that others (mainly Riley) has, don’t focus on what people lack. 

Then, I got to the point, where when I looked at the tree, it didn’t look like anything was missing at all.  And it filled me with wonder, peace and magic each time I looked at it.

Those twelve days of Christmas kept coming into our little humble house, and each day was full, some moments I stressed out and was mean and gnarly and awful, but mostly I was so incredibley happy. 

The day I took the tree down, I wept through the whole process.  Feeling the tender mercies of the Lord through our generous benefactors that gave us date night out, a turkey, food storage, and reigndeer poop, the most delicious I’ve yet tasted, as well as remembering treasured time with my little ones, family memories, crafting, and enjoying the spirit of Christ,  I literally loved my half of tree, and this blessed season.

Blessed be the name of the Lord, for giving me half a tree.

 A few ropes are needed.

We pushed the couches really close, and one has to admit, the tree, had its charm: