The Last Holdout
>Today I plan to take down and put away my living room Christmas tree.
Yes! It is still up.
I usually don't take it down until after my kids go back to school. I like to keep this tree up a little longer than the other decorations, so I can enjoy it's beauty without having my mind running in a dozen different directions. It's kind of a ritual for me. While I take it down and put everything away, I reflect on the holidays and the past year. But early this morning I realized that, this year, I hadn't taken the time to really enjoy it at all. It had just been a task on my list of things to do. And so, at around 6 AM, I turned on the lights, laid on my tummy, and took time to gaze and day dream.
The village is no longer as orderly as it once was, but I resisted the urge to make everything right again. Instead, I tried to learn a few lessons in the quiet of the morning.
The village looked a mess, but it was that way as a result of our cat, my youngest son and his best friend, and my little grand-daughter having fun.
THE LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
LESSON #1: Real life is messy, yet I spend so much time trying to make things appear perfect and pretty that I often miss out on life.LESSON #2: It's often in the messes where the best memories are made!
LESSON #3: What good is it to have pretty things, if we don't take the time to enjoy them.
LESSON #4: People are more important than possessions.
LESSON #5: I need to spend more time this year on the important things, people and relationships, and less time on acquiring possessions.
LESSON #6: There's a lot to be learned in the quiet of the morning.
