I found a great bargain on live trees this year. One of the teachers at my school is selling U-cut Doug firs for $5.00 and Noble firs for $10.00. Wow! $10.00 for a Noble! I've never had one before, because they are so expensive. I made arrangements to go out to their farm and cut one last Friday.
But then life happened. We could have made it to the farm Friday, but doing so would have meant pushing ourselves to the point where it wasn't fun any more. And so we decided to pull out the definitely fake, 4-foot tree, and hang a few ornaments on it.
And you know what? For this year, that's just fine. I got to reflecting on something Dieter F. Uchtdorf said at the recent Christmas devotional broadcast from Salt Lake City on December 5: "If we notice that planning for parties and scrambling for presents begin to detract from the peaceable message of Jesus Christ and distance us from the gospel He preached, let us take a step back, slow down a little, and reconsider what matters most."
What mattered most to me this week wasn't a fancy tree, it was time with my family. I appreciate President Uchtdorf's counsel to not become a Grinch in my own home, You can read the rest of his talk here.
As for me, I'm going to settle in next to my little tree and have a peaceful Sunday morning. I hope you are having one, too!
4 comments:
Excellent thought! "Come what may and love it" (Joseph B. Wirthlin)is my motto, and you are giving a great example. Enjoy your peaceful moments while they last. :)
You little tree looks beautiful. I had to go back and double check because at first I thought it was a display tree you'd gotten off the internet, but then I definitely see your quilt hanging above it. Very nice.
Katie put most of our ornaments on our tree this year...and she did a decent job of it.
Thanks for posting that comment! It is so easy to forget what really matters when crowds, elaborate gifts, and stress get in the way. Thanks again for sharing! You guys are the greatest! Love and miss you! -The Haynies
I agree with Pres. Uchtdorf! I truly believe that it is important for our happiness that we learn to simplfy our lives, which necessarily means focusing on those things which are truly important. Good message!
Post a Comment