The Ornament on the Bottom of the Tree

Isn't it funny how the littlest things (and littlest people) can teach you big lessons?

On Monday we decorated our house for Christmas. I was going to do it this past weekend when Nathan was away at my MIL's but when I mentioned it he said "No! I wanna help" and I was so touched that he was interested in helping so we put it off til this week.

I decided to only put up the small tree this year and go with minimum decorations. Not sure why. (I plan on making my super cool 3D paper snowflakes soon and doing a DIY post! Yippee!)

We got the tree together and I started putting hooks on ornaments and handing them to Marcus and Nathan to place on the tree. After we were done I gave it a good look over and saw this ornament hanging on the very bottom of the tree. Kinda of lost in it's old world and sticking out like a sore thumb.


You see, I like things orderly. Not in an obsessive compulsive type of way- but in a "that picture is slightly crooked and will continue to bug me unless I fix it" sort of way.

My house is in no way "in order" but there are certain things I like a certain way. I think we all have our "thing" and an ornament hanging all by it lonesome on the bottom of the tree just irked me a little. It made the tree look uneven.

So I moved it and went about my evening.

30 minutes later I noticed that it was back.

I thought about moving it again and stopped myself. What was I doing? Why was it so important that the tree look uniform? So what if there was an ornament hanging off of the bottom? Apparently that's where Nathan thought it should go if he took the time to move it back there after I had placed it up higher on the tree.

So I left it for the time being, thinking that I would probably give in an move it again the next day.

I tell ya. It still kind of bugs me that it's still hanging there like that. But it's also a reminder of the sweet little hand that placed it there, which is connected to the sweet little boy who brings so much joy to my life.

Since Tuesday my eye has been drawn to that little ornament and now I don't dare think about moving it. My "itch" to be uniform and orderly must take a back seat to my son's desire to hang an ornament his way- even when it's not my way. We think parenting is about teaching them so much but I'm starting to learn my son will teach me 100x's more things during his life than I could ever teach him.

Happy Wednesday :o)