If you have grown children who have moved out and on with their lives, this may resonate with you.
When my son and daughter-in-law married, it became time for them to establish some of their own traditions. All of my kids have collected Christmas ornaments since their early childhoods. And each year, they would put their own ornaments on our family tree.
With a new family unit formed a couple of years ago, it was time for my son and daughter-in-law to take their ornaments for their own home. As a mom, there's a sadness in that for me. I don't get to look at the collection of boat and airplane ornaments that my son chose in his youth. And I don't get to see the angels, hearts, and stars that we'd given to my daughter-in-law when she was still a girlfriend/fiancée. Those ornaments have their own home now.
Two Christmases ago, our family began a new tradition for tree ornaments. When one of ours moves out and on with their life, they get a special ornament for our tree that lives in our home. I took two of our plain glass ball ornaments and used a gilded pen to write each of their names on them. Last night, I lovingly placed the "Angie" and "Chris" ornaments on our tree, knowing that while the two of them physically live somewhere else, I hold them close in my heart always.
sniff, sniff Someone pass me the tissue box.
Have a great weekend, everybody!
