Perspective

So it's December 22nd and I'm not ready for Christmas. Well... my heart is ready. My soul is ready. My home? Not even close.

I realized three weeks ago I wasn't going to be able to get our 10-foot tree up. My Sweet Hubby always retrieves it from our storage room in the garage the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It takes me most of that day to decorate it (Yep. I'm a bit slow). While looking at my "Little Leighton" and work schedule calendar several days past that Sunday, I couldn't find the day I could put up our tree. I tried to convince TLC it'd be all right to go one year without it. If she, her Hubby and LL can make it (weather permitting), it'll only be the four and a half of us on Christmas Day. TLC was completely offended that I would even consider not having a tree.

That was when I decided to buy a small one. She agreed that'd be acceptable. For this year ONLY.

I went to Wally World the Thursday after Thanksgiving and bought a 4-footer. Then I brought over, from the Barn, a table to set it up near our "Library" bookshelves. There it sat--with only the lights it came with--for almost two weeks. Every morning I'd tell myself I'd find a box of ornaments and get it decorated before I went to bed that night. Night after night I'd say: "Okay. Maybe tomorrow."

December 14th. Newtown, Connecticut. Sheer and utter horror. Shock. Immense pain. Anger. Perspective.

A Christmas tree--shopping--laughing--carols--cooking--cleaning--all of it. All of it seemed silly. Unimportant. Useless. Wrong.

I decorated The Little Tree yesterday morning. There are 26 ornaments on it. At the top is a red star--for the brave principal of Sandy Hook. There are five khaki stars--for the teachers and the school psychologist who were also murdered. There are twelve redbirds--for the precious little girls who were so brutally killed. And eight red felt trees for the sweet little boys who died that dark Friday.

All of them are Angels now. All stay fresh on my mind. Every single day. Reminders of what is truly and most important.

Help me, Lord God Almighty. Help me remember to live each day as if it were my last. Help me to keep perspective. Your Son, Jesus, especially loved all children. I pray to You in His name. Amen.