This is going to sound ridiculous.
We decorated our Christmas tree tonight, and I couldn’t find this one ornament.
It was a Betsy Clark ornament that my Grammy Lord gave me in 1975. I have hung it at the top of the tree for-ever. Well, since 1975.
I am not some huge fan of Betsy Clark, but for some reason, this ornament has meant so much to me for so long. And tonight, I couldn’t find it.
I don’t remember if I had it last year. Honestly, I really don’t remember last year. Last December, I was just trying to make sense of a life with no guardrails – thank you, Universe, for yanking those training wheels off and just letting me roll with that!
But this year, I am pretty proud of my progress and getting an actual hold on my life, actually. So, not finding Betsy Clark was a bit unsettling.
Grammy Lord was my person. My relationship with her was special for as long as I can remember. Pretty much, since I was a baby.
First, she was the person I went to when I first came to the US (I was born in Italy). Second, we had birthdays just one day apart. Third, she was passionately protective of me (probably because of number one). Lastly, she taught me about being a wife/mother/woman who is also a Dutch farm woman – yeah, trust me, you don’t want to mess with any of those genes! I learned to cook, to play Uno, to appreciate Lawrence Welk, and to sing along with “Frankie and Johnny” with my Grammy. She made me feel safe, and I can still find that feeling when I think about being with her.
Everything that I had from my Grammy Lord was lost in the fire that took our home. It’s been two years and I still have trouble remember whether I should be able to find something now or if I had it before the fire. Did I have those snowmen before or did I have them last year? Ugh.
Grammy Lord won a Hallmark Christmas Tree some time in the 1980’s. I thought she was a rockstar – a literal rockstar. I guess in Delhi, NY, she probably was. I became obsessed with Hallmark ornaments because she loved them as well! It was another point of connection for us.
So, Tony, Tony come around, help find what’s lost, but once was found.
Yeah, I mean my Betsy Clark ornament.
Happy holidays and family traditions, peeps.