The Broken Ornament

It was a beautiful thing, selected with care,
Collected with pride, an ornament so rare.
Hand-painted and jewelled, a joy just to see,
With its own special spot each year on the tree.

Then one fateful Christmas when my daughter was three,
As enthralled with the ball as I knew she would be,
I let her hold it and touch it before I put it in place,
I could see fascination on her sweet little face.

I was a moment too late, It happened so fast,
Through her tiny fingers my Christmas bulb passed.
In thousands of pieces my pretty ball lay,
As I looked at the fragments my head started to sway.

I could feel the anger beginning to rise,
I could feel the tears starting to form in my eyes,
But then a much stronger feeling began to take hold.
A feeling that came from the depth of my soul.

My bejewelled ornament was only a thing,
My sweet, darling daughter is my everything.
As I bent down to sweep her in a loving embrace,
I thought to myself, this is what can’t be replaced.

The love of a child, is more precious than gold,
I’ve been blessed with my girl to have and to hold.
And as I comforted her and kissed away tears,
I thought, this is what I waited for all of those years.

Collecting these ornaments to help fill the hole,
My Christmas tree was always a sight to behold.
Now an ornament less, it is the most beautiful yet ,
As under its branches my toddler sits.

So if a broke, shattered ball is the price I must pay,
To have my sweet, darling, daughter with me today,
We can break one a year and my smile won’t fade,
I will just close my eyes and then I will pray,

Lord,

Please bless my tiny ornament breaker,
Watch over her, wherever life takes her.

Forgive her the trespasses she makes here on earth.
Let her celebrate Christmas, your holy son’s birth.

And Lord, Let there be plenty of joys and few tears,
No matter how many ornaments break through the years.

Amen