Leah Wright

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Reasons I love this final one: I love the fact that the grandmother’s handmade photo ornaments were more important to her than anything store-bought. (The store-bought ornaments were the discarded ones.)  I love the fact that even the handmade ornaments did not have to be labor-intensive or expensive to make. Kids just need recognition, a sense of belonging in the group, and a place in the process. That’s really all that matters to them. And I love that Leah took the time to be a poet! Happy Holidays. It’s  been a magical time so far at our house.  Like Fred, in A Christmas Carol …”I say, ‘God bless it!'”

If you are missing someone dear this year, or struggling, like some for whom I am praying hard, with some huge challenge in life, I am praying that 2025 can be a year that holds a new peace and comfort for you.  Thank you for praying for the Colleys. We continue to be so dependent on His mercies.

 

 

Like most of us, I have special memories of my grandmother, affectionately known as MawMaw to us five grands. And if you ask any of us what we remember most I feel pretty confident the tree would make the list. From the time of our birth, each year, she created a new ornament with our picture. Some years it was a clay creation with the picture glued to the front. Other years it might be a crocheted snowflake with our picture in the center, or even a foil cupcake liner with our picture nestled inside.
 Every year in the weeks before Christmas we would all go over for a meal and each cousin would get to hang all their ornaments on the tree. When we were younger we would add other ornaments too, but with five cousins and five ornaments added every year, there came a time when her tree was only these picture ornaments.
I don’t remember exactly when she stopped doing this but I do know we were all grown. They had moved to a new home and we all had a present that looked the same. She gifted each of us a box containing all of our ornaments. There was so much love in those boxes.

Leah’s family this year…

For MawMaw
Every year our picture was taken
We knew Mawmaw would be busy makin’
A homemade new ornament for the tree,
With our smiling face for all to see.
Paper, cardboard, maybe clay,
Foil and ceramic and even crochet.
She made Christmas special in her own crafty way.
Her love for us, on display.
I look back now, because she raised the bar.
And realize just how grand, grandmothers are.

Leah Wright

And from A Muppet Christmas Carol, I would echo the lyrics from this song. I don’t want to trivialize prayer  or the holiness of our God, but this is true: It is when we reach for Him, that we stand tallest. It is when we consider our smallness that we can approach His greatness.