This year has been rough for our little town. It seemed like the year was off to good start with some nice winter weather and a mild spring. As we were looking forward to beaches, outdoor activities, and summer vacation, the unthinkable happened. The super outbreak of tornadoes ripped through the town and those of you who are familiar with my blog are aware of the weeks after.
It’s taken a while for me to deal with what happened, and really, the days after. My sense of “home” changed. Our church building is gone and we have slowly settled into our temporary location until we can rebuild on The Slab again. My views towards the people in my town changed, for the better. Many good things have happened as a direct result. Change is never easy. I still have times when it’s overwhelming to see the destruction. But I know progress is being made and a few years from now, all the scars left will be for us to tell because the physical scars may be gone.
The Christmas season and all the symbols of the spirit of Christmas are very important to me. I do enjoy the seemingly trivial parts but I put a lot of thought in other ways we celebrate the season as well. So this is the year that I added a new tree to the house. An Alabama tree. This is the best year to begin a new tradition that shows my pride in my state and not because of football.But because of the tenacious spirit my state has called upon to rebuild homes and hearts.
I started with 3 or 4 plain crimson and red/white polka dot balls. I had the hounds tooth ribbon and found the stockings at a local alumni store. The first 3 ornaments came from a student this year. Her mother knew I was starting a new tree and wanted to help decorate it.
Visions of bowl game WIN, dancing in our heads.
The polka dot stocking is my favorite. I love anything polka dots.
So that is the story behind the second of my 4 trees. My other two have their own stories to tell. 🙂