Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The Best Christmas Gift...Ever.

My husband bought me a Ginkgo Tree for Christmas. That's right...he bought me a tree.  You think this is a strange gift and he totally bombed, right?  Wrong.  Absolutely the most thoughtful gift I have ever received.  Make that the second most thoughtful.  The day before I received my tree (rather, a picture and money to buy one), he gave me a necklace with John Reynolds' birthstone in it for my birthday.  He totally wins in the gift department this year...and every year, really!

So, you might think this a strange gift if you don't know the history behind me and Ginkgo Trees.  Or maybe you've never seen one of these beautiful trees for yourself?  See below for pictures of my favorite one and you will see at least part of the reason I love this tree.

The Ginkgo is one of the most beautiful trees I have ever seen. The one I first fell in love with is located on the Asbury Theological Seminary campus. I spent many of my days out on this lawn admiring this tree and its beauty, sometimes playing in the leaves and always enjoying the view. Rumor was that the tree was a gift from some missionaries to the Far East. Wherever it came from, it was and is one of my favorite things about Wilmore. It symbolizes for me what seminary was for me - a time of great growth and joy in my life.  The overwhelming vibrance of the leaves (on or off the tree) paint a picture of what I became while I was there.  I found myself in a lot of ways.  Seminary was for me a place where I discovered myself and made peace with my past troubles and prepared for my future. It was also a place of deep, abiding friendship...with God and with others. I'll save all of that for another blog, as it is worth reflection.  For now, I'm just excited about my tree.  I cannot wait to plant it at our new house (hopefully in the next several months) as a reminder of that wonderful season of my life and a celebration of life to come.

And yes, my husband rocks.  He amazes me with the creative ways he finds to show me love...and understanding...and patience...and joy.  My cup runneth over...



2 comments:

Elizabeth Ashley Fink said...

B E A utiful! i love those trees too. We have a small one at greenville, but i didn't realize that's what that was! I do like it a lot.

Carolina Girl said...

Gingkos are special for me too. They were my Grandmother's favorite. She had one outside her window and loved to look at it.