Collections

I am not someone that likes to keep onto things. I have a three month rule. If the item is not up in the house making the house look beautiful or if we are not going to use it anytime in the foreseen future nor have we used it in the last three months, the item is gone. I am not one to collect anything, but whenever Michael and I were first married, I felt like we should get something to collect as a family. Something unique and special. We decided on Willow Trees. I know that they are very "in" right now, but my husband and I love them, and we really feel as if they show our family style. Here are a few pictures of the Willow Trees that we have.

These Willow Trees were a gift from my husband for my 25th birthday. The little boy is called caring boy and the girl is called spirited child. I love that the girl is wearing jeans and has her hair up in a pony tail. We both thought that these children represented the child like faith that God had given both of us. Lesson: Never let your spirit get too old. Get wiser, not older.

I guess the one with the married couple is our official first year of marriage Willow. I love this one, and it is called together. The angel holding the candle is called the angel of hope. We found this one shortly after we lost our first child. I love looking at it and imaging that our daughter is dancing with Jesus. When we were pregnant, I listened to the song "Our God" by Chris Tomlin. I used to laugh and think that one day we would dance with our child. At Passion, Chris Tomlin played this song, and both my husband and I broke down into tears. Our God is stronger, greater, and good, and our beloved child is now dancing with Him waiting for us. It makes our hearts smile and break. It is a comfort while we patiently wait for God to answer our prayers and send us another child. Hope.

I got this one in the mail the other day as a Christmas present from a dear friend. She is the angel of courage. The card actually states "Bringing a triumphant spirit, inspiration, and courage." I pray that I live a life with arms high in victory as this angel does. I was blessed by the gift, and now we have a new reminder of how we are to live. It came at a perfect time too. Michael and I got this in the mail shortly after we began embarking on praying that God would fearlessly be on our lips.

So... does your family collect anything?