Ornaments and Emotions — FRAGILE: Handle With Care!

In preparation for the coming Christmas season I was on the lookout for some new ornaments for my tree. I had been to the usual places where you would normally go to find them but nothing had yet caught my eye. Then, of all places, I happened to stop in to a furniture store and lo and behold there they were, displayed on the store’s tree. I had found just what I was looking for.

My bubble of excitement was somewhat dampened shortly thereafter when I found out the only ones that were available were the 5 on display. Even the warehouse was out (I had wanted 15). So, I decided I would take the ones they had in the store and call it good. Well, long story short, when they went to remove the ornaments from the tree the first one slipped through their fingers and went hurtling to the ground and broke in half. Now, I was down to a precious 4. A couple of days after this little experience I got to thinking and I would like to share with you some of my thoughts:

WHAT I LEARNED FROM A BROKEN ORNAMENT

1. Fragile things need to be handled with extra care.

   After the first ornament went crashing to the floor, believe me, the next ones taken off the tree were handled with kid gloves. The holidays can stir up diverse memories and feelings; some pleasant and some heartbreaking leaving us with fragile emotions. Our hearts ache over loved ones who are no longer with us. We find ourselves feeling alone due to splintered relationships or maybe our children have grown up or moved away leaving us with only memories of Christmases past. Or maybe living with depression make the holidays especially hard for you. Whatever the case may be sometimes we just need to give ourselves or others some extra love at this time of year.

2. Things can still be beautiful even when they are broken.

   At first glance the ornament lying on the ground looked to be unscathed.  But as I picked it up I could see the whole back part was missing. But you know what? It was still beautiful to me and I even considered  taking it home and hanging it on my tree. I knew if I positioned it just right no one would see the parts missing. And that’s where we come in. There’s not a person on earth who has not been broken at some time in life. Even though we started this life as a perfect little bundle of joy we have incurred scrapes, missing pieces, and jagged edges along life’s journey.  Each blemish and missing piece tells our story, it’s what makes us who we are. And each one of us are unique and still beautiful in our own way. 

3. Some things can’t be replaced.

   Whelp! As my ornament “bit the dust” I knew that it couldn’t be replaced. “Oh well!  C’est la Vie.” Throughout life everything lost is not always important. It’s a good reminder for us to put the emphasis on things that really matters. A broken ornament? “Pfft!” But taking time to appreciate what we have and cherish those who we have in our lives right now? Yes, very important! I have some old ornaments of my grandmother who has long since passed on. She can’t be replaced but when I unwrap those ornaments year after year they hold a special memory of her in my heart. 

4. Sometimes you just have to sweep up the broken pieces and move on.

   Okay, I’ll be honest with you. Once I told the salesman, “I’ll take all of them,” in my mind that meant the ornaments were mine. In other words, “BE CAREFUL WITH THEM!” So, when the first one was “yanked” (maybe a slight exaggeration) off the tree I was a little miffed, (okay, more than a little)! But what could I do about it?  As we gather together with family and friends over the holidays don’t let trivial past hurts and injustices overshadow the joy of the season. Forgive, forget and move on!

5. There are more important things than ornaments.

   Sure, I was bugged that the store didn’t have the number of ornaments I needed and then more bugged when they broke one. But after my initial huff I realized it was no big deal. Good grief! It was just an ornament! There are always going to be little annoyances in life and things that don’t always go according to plan.  By putting things into perceptive we will learn not to “sweat the small stuff.” Too often things like looking for the perfect ornament or the busyness of getting everything done for the holidays receives more care and attention than where it truly belongs; our family, friends and the other people in our world.

WOW! Who knew you could learn so much from a broken ornament. You know, I think that little ornament means more to me now than before it broke. In our homes and around the world there are a lot of broken people. One of them might even be you. It’s not always the most wonderful time of the year. And even though adversity can make us stronger sometimes getting there we need a little help and some special care. With the holidays upon us if you are dealing with fragile emotions please call me, (Kris Henderson) at 616-516-1570 or schedule an appointment online with me. I believe together we can help you move forward to find some beauty even in the shards of brokenness.