A Christmas ornament

Our church puts up a Christmas tree in the foyer that is a Memory tree. People bring ornaments to hang there in memory of a loved one who is no longer with us.

I was asked to bring an ornament and to share at the front of the church about the ornament (why I chose it), who it represents and one thing that that person taught me.

Well, I didn't feel like buying an ornament, so I decided to make one instead. (Surprise, surprise.)

I was inspired by Danielle Flanders' Icicle box ornament and even used the same template that she did.

So here's my ornament, which I made in memory of my dad:



And here's what I shared in church:

"I am bringing an ornament today in memory of my dad, Trevor Roy Davies, who passed away on May 1st, 2000, after a 3 and a half year battle with cancer. So this Christmas will be the 11th one that we’ve celebrated without him. Which, to me, it is quite unbelievable to think that he has never met two of my children and that he’s been gone for so long.

The ornament I’m hanging on the tree is one I made, because, well, I like to make things. It’s an icicle ornament that I made out of a map, because my dad came from England, which is on here, but also because he loved to travel. It can be filled with Werther’s candies, because those were my dad’s favourites. And on the tag here, I cut it from a dictionary for the word gentleman, because my dad was a true English gentleman.

I’ve been thinking about my dad all week, trying to decide what one thing he taught me that I should share, and I kept coming back to this: my dad taught me how to show love in the moment. He taught me the importance of being there for my loved ones, in seemingly little ways, which add up over time. An example: in all my years of school, my dad never missed a concert or recital of mine. When I would come on stage to perform, I would look out into the audience and find my dad, waving at me, like this. That was his wave. He made me feel important to him and loved, which is something I definitely want to pass on to my kids."

Thanks for looking!