Smashed To Flinders

Yesterday we set up our Christmas tree.

At 3 AM my husband and I were startled awake by the sound of a great crash. We ran to the living room to find the tree on its side.

We only lost two ornaments - two among many breakables.

Sadly, this particular one was one of my favorites, and I'm grieving its loss today. This beautiful, hand painted ornament was a gift to my husband and I in honor of our very first Christmas as a married couple. It was made with love by the man who did the flowers for our wedding, a dear friend who really did so much more than just our flowers. If you look at the piece that's signed, you'll see that this was the first a limited edition. It was (and probably still is) an annual tradition of his. Each and every year this has been one of the last ornaments out of the box, placed in a place of honor near the top of the tree. We received several 'first Christmas' ornaments that year, but this is the one that always warmed my heart.

My mom and grandma often say that there's no sense in crying over things that money can replace.

But this one is truly one of a kind, and I think it deserves a few tears today.