Is there something that you don’t ever want to outgrow? For me, it’s my love of Christmas ornaments. Honestly, it’s kinda dangerous to let me loose by myself in a store that has them for sale. But I don’t always buy them for my own Christmas tree; I also love to give them as presents.
About ten years ago, Tim and I were at Dollywood when we came across a vendor selling personalized Christmas ornaments. I almost squealed with delight when I saw them. They were made of white glass and had snowmen drawn on them. Also they were adorned with intricate designs, glitter, and sparkly fake-colored gems. Each one was not only beautiful, but also unique. In the picture is one that I bought for Tim and myself since it was our 30th anniversary at that time. It sits on our mantle year-round.
Of course, I couldn’t resist buying a few more as Christmas presents. The vendor/artist customized each one with names and dates. I was so excited and I couldn’t wait to see people’s facial expressions when they unwrapped them. These were so much better than the ornaments I made a few years earlier.
As you probably know, I have no artistic ability at all. Back in elementary school, we would make ornaments for our parents. Mine were always the worst looking ones. It was so bad that I was a little embarrassed. But after I grew up and learned how to cross stitch, that changed. I loved making cross-stitched ornaments. One year, I found a pretty ornament pattern of a Christmas angel blowing a trumpet. After I finished one, I realized it could also be used as a bow. So, I tied each one on top of a present with lots of colored ribbon. Once the gift was opened, the angel ornament could be hung on the tree. Originally, the pattern called for a dark blue thread, then I got the bright idea to use different colors for each person’s angel dress. For instance, I used purple for Tim’s mother since that was her favorite color. I used a mauve one for Mamaw Jo to match her living room décor. The last one I made was for a family friend. Let me tell you, he absolutely loved the UT Vols. So, I decided to make him an orange angel. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
While I used orange for the angel’s dress, I used black to outline it as well as the wings, halo, and trumpet. Once I was finished, I held out the Vol angel to admire it. Instead, I had a horrifying realization. I had used orange and black, which were Halloween colors. Would people look at the angle and think of that holiday instead? I felt like I was back in elementary school again. What in the world was I going to do about it? At first, I considered taking out the black thread and replacing it with brown, but that would just make it a fall angel. Also, I was worried that I may mess up some of the stitching in the orange dress when I picked out the thread. At that point, I didn’t want to make another one. In my mind, there was only one thing to do.
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 14:12 (KJV)
No, there was no death in the story. That being said, I didn’t stop to think through what I was doing when I cross-stitched the orange angel. As humans, we do that a lot. We believe we have a great idea and we jump on it without first praying about it. No matter what we undertake, our first step should always be to pray and then to listen to what He tells us. His answer may not always be instant, but He will let you know.
When I gave our friend the angel, I simply said I used UT colors especially for him, which was very true. He looked at it and crinkled his eye brows. Then he thanked me. You know, I have to wonder if he showed it other people. And if so, what in the world did they think of me.
Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.