On the Minister's Mind
by Rev. Laine Morgan
On the Tree of Belonging in the sanctuary at our Center, we have hung symbols to honor some of the things for which we are grateful and celebrating. There are purple orbs and gold stars that remind us of holidays past. There are white lights that encourage us to remember the light within. There are colored tags, explained in this newsletter, that represent our spiritual family members, our commitment to the future of our spiritual home and ministry, and tags that are hanging in celebration of gifts already received.
So, what do you hang on your Christmas or holiday tree and what does your tree say about you? I love visiting other people’s trees and asking them to share the symbolism in the things they have hung. As we celebrate life at this time of year, our trees are the perfect place to display our values, don’t you think?
Almost every year of my adult life I have decorated a holiday tree in my home. The first one I had was in 1983 in a small apartment that I shared with roommates, and it was a smallish - almost like a “Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.” I loved it so much because we had saved our coins for weeks to buy it and by the time we had enough money, only the scraggliest trees were left in the lot. But that tree symbolized my independence and freedom from my childhood rules where such trees were not allowed. We hung whatever we could find to decorate it and it was magnificent!
As I went through the years, I collected ornaments that symbolized special moments and memories of special vacations, relationship milestones, celebratory occasions and accomplishments. When I had my daughter, I added handmade ornaments from her school days and those that represented her favorite things. My memory trees grew more interesting, colorful and sentimental through the years. I cherish each one of the ornaments as they seem to represent the things I valued – fun, success, travel, love, family, and joy.
After my daughter moved away from home, I stopped putting up the memory related ornaments and now have a tree that is very beautiful, but less sentimental. It is covered in ornaments mostly in different shades of blue, white, silver and gold. Many ornaments have a beach or sea life theme as they celebrate the wonderful place we live. My sentimental ornaments have been kept and remain cherished, knowing that I will likely crave another memory tree down the road. My tree now shows that I value beauty and order and love.
What do you value and how can you celebrate those values visually this year? Check out your tree and see if it represents you well and feel joy if it does. If it doesn’t…there is always next year!