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.