Hope & A Little Bit

Let your little bit be enough.

Hope Matters

Hey, Hope Buddies!

It’s been a few weeks, but I’m back with another hopeletter and a bit of news. We finally finished decorating our Christmas tree. Now, to some of you this might not be a big deal or matter at all. However, at my house it’s a momentous one this year. You see, this year Son finally got the tree at our house that he’s always wanted. He loves nice Christmas trees, and typically the only one he sees, in a home where he has consistent access during the holidays, is at my mother’s. Now at Mom’s, my sister decorates the tree, and she is the queen of all things Christmas in our family. So, you can imagine that Mom’s tree is magnificent and takes hours to decorate and take down. 🙄 I’m more of an “if I can’t slap it up in 30 minutes let’s not bother” type of person. So, imagine my sister’s surprise (and way too much excitement) when I called and told her I was putting up a tree at my home this year.

Okay, I’m about to dial this back a bit. When I first left Son’s father almost 16 years ago, I had such mom-guilt that I made sure Son had a tree that year. Keep in mind it was a small tree, but he had a tree with a star atop it (That’s a Son requirement and a source of contention between him and my sister. *stage whisper* She’s an angel-on-top kind of person.).

This was our first tree and the only one I could afford (not really) at the time. I paid about $15.00 for that tree from Rose’s and bought 2 packs of ornaments, a tree skirt, and a star from Dollar Tree to decorate it.

Well, as time went on and our tree ended up in one of the communities I serve, Son has only had the tree at my mom’s each year. Fast forward to this year — a year when I’ve been doing a lot more reflecting and moving purposefully — I decided to ask Son if he’d like a tree at our home this year. I already knew the answer, but I was dreading it just the same (see 30-minute note above 🤦🏾‍♀️). Y’all, the enthusiasm that glowed from his face when he said yes made it a done deal. Son was getting a tree, and he wanted to help put it up! So, I purchased a tree and some decorations with the intention to have a nice-not spectacular-tree, and we started in early December. Son put the tree together, and I would take about 15-30 minutes some weekday mornings to either fluff up the tree, put a few ornaments on, stick some picks in there, etc. He added a few of his personal ornaments that he’d created over the years, and I just put the star on top Sunday, and this is what we have now…

While reflecting on our new Christmas tree, I decided to drill down to the main issue (besides the 30 minutes) of us not having a tree until now. It came down to resources. I just didn’t have enough to make everything happen. I was doing my best to keep us alive and sheltered, buy Christmas gifts, and make sure he had gluten-free/dairy-free eats and treats for the holiday at my mom’s. And, all of that stretched or exceeded my budget. So, no tree. As I often told people when they’d ask if I’d finished decorating for Christmas, ‘Son has enough tree and decorations at my mom’s.’ To which they’d respond, “Give that baby a tree.”

Hope Buddies, be careful with and mindful of people in this season (and always). Some of us are doing the best we can with what we do and don’t have. A little bit can be enough, if there’s love there.

Son and I began our journey with a little bit of a tree, which ended up being no tree, which ended up being a full-sized tree that we put up a little bit at a time. I said all this to say every little bit matters. Don’t overwhelm yourselves in this season or those following. If you only have a little bit to give, let that be enough. If you don’t even have a little bit, let love be enough. It all works out exactly as it should.

Sending you all so much love and wishing you the Merriest Christmas!

Coffee Matters

Coffee Buddies, I got the sweetest gift in the mail from one of my friends. She knows how much I love coffee and how much I believe in hope. Since I got it last week (maybe the week before 🤔💭), I’ve used it no less than 3 times already. 🤭 It reminds me to begin my day with lots of hope and some good coffee. 🥰

Look…

I appreciate you taking the time to read this hopeletter about my life and coffee. Please share with a friend who could use a little hope or coffee recommendation.