An Attitude of Gratitude Day 14

I remember working at a local hospital that had one floor totally renovated.  There had been a fire in the hospital and because of that EVERYTHING on the floor got replaced.  New floors, new walls, a new doctor lounge....and a new Christmas Tree.  But wait....it wasn't Christmas.  The tree was decorated for Memorial Day, if memory serves right.  I asked about the tree and was told that it was a Seasonal Tree and the unit had plans to decorate the tree for various holidays.  I was in LOVE.  I couldn't run out right then and buy things for my own seasonal tree (not many ornaments out in May) and my family might think I had lost my mind!

Fast forward several years.  I was living in a new apartment and going through a lot of personal changes.  My spirits were down and I was in desperate need of a pick-me-up.  As Christmas came to a close I was faced with taking down the Christmas Tree, one of the few things that brighten the space I now called home.  I dreaded the idea.  Then it occurred to me.  It's my place...I can have what I want in here...and I can have a Seasonal Tree!  That day I went and bought over a dozen boxes of Christmas ornaments. 

Today there are more ornaments than I can shake a stick at. Why would anyone shake a stick at things anyway....answer me that.  Anyway, I decorate a tree for most major holidays and I still have plans for at least one I want to try next year.  In those days when happiness seemed hard to come by I did find comfort in coming home to an apartment in the middle of summer with a 4th of July Tree.  It was MINE and not many people had anything like it.  I could sit on the couch and enjoy the glow of the lights year round.  It became a fun project to make ornaments with the kids for the tree.  Today I have more happiness than ever before.  You know the proverbial "my cup runneth over"?  Well mine is running over the edge of the cup, all over the table and onto the floor.  My tree still gets decorated now not because I'm trying to find something to smile about, but because I have so much to celebrate!  So on Day 14 of An Attitude of Gratitude I am thankful for the many celebrations in my life and for my Seasonal Tree. 



The Thanksgiving Tree



I'm enjoying the feeling of "The Holidays" all year long.  Happy as a clam...I am.