The Valentine tree

Happy Valentine's Day!

A couple of weeks ago, my husband finally had the time to undecorate our Christmas tree. As it stood there, void of decorations, we considered our options. We could either take the time to put the tree up in the attic (a major pain in the butt), or we could redecorate it for Valentine's Day. As you can see by the picture, that's exactly what we did. 

I had a whole slew of heart ornaments stashed away from years ago when I had the time to go all out with decorating for every holiday. I pulled them out and Bill found a string of white lights to replace the colored ones he'd just removed. 

I added white statice, red silk carnations, and the beautiful snowflakes my daughter, Jess, makes for us each Christmas. Voila! Our Christmas tree is now a Valentine tree.

Why am I sharing this with you? Well, because there is a message in this. Back in 1989, when I was widowed, I read that having things of beauty in your home will help you through the grieving process. So I made sure I had fresh flowers in the house all the time for months. It really did brighten my mood, and the process of arranging them was therapeutic.

My Valentine tree served the same purpose. Since my mother's death, I haven't been smiling a whole lot. Yet, as Bill and I decorated the tree, I found my spirit lifting and I was smiling. It was a little thing, but it drove home the message of beauty to me once again. 

So, day after day, as I plug in the lights, I stand back and admire the sparkling silver hearts as they seem to dance in the light. I touch the delicate snowflakes. I smile at the red glass hearts. 

Was it a lot of work to redecorate our tree. Yeah. Was it worth it? You bet.

I'd love to hear your own stories of things that helped you during times of grief. Please tell your stories in the comments below.

Oh, and have a safe and happy Valentine's Day. Cherish those you love now, for tomorrow they may be gone.