When I moved out on my own, I was entrusted with some very special ornaments that had belonged to my grandmother. I also had all of the ornaments that I made as a child and a few that my oldest son had made. I lived in an apartment and had all of my personal belongings in a storage area. To make a long story short, a crackhead stole them. The building manager believed his story that the storage area belonged to him and unlocked and helped him load my personal belongings into a u-haul truck. I called the police but there was not much they could do. They said they’d look for the stuff. I doubt it. Nothing was ever recovered.
That year I started a new collection. With tears in my eyes, I made some ornaments using paint inside of glass balls. They are quite pretty. The majority of them are still intact. I have continued to add to the ornaments each year.
Today we decorated our tree. I think it was the first time that I had a bit of happiness while unpacking the ornaments. Many of them date back to the early years that my husband and I were together and our collection of handmade ornaments is growing. They are different but they are special.
© 2011, Jennifer Zinck. All rights reserved.
Wendy said,
December 4, 2011 at 8:47 AM
They say it’s no use crying over spilled milk, but my gosh, sometimes that is all there is to do. I can’t imagine the sadness of losing so many precious ornaments and reliving that sadness each Christmas. I’m glad you are creating some more special ornaments though.
Robin said,
December 5, 2011 at 5:50 PM
I, too, have cried over the “spilled milk” in my life and objects that belonged to my grandmother. But I do have ornaments she made and many of her tea cups and salt and pepper collection. Since I just finished getting them out of boxes before Thanksgiving and displaying them in my dining room, I’m feeling good about grandma and life right now. We just have to move on and do the best we can with life! Love your blog….