It had always been
A little troubling
From the day I brought it home
Plugged it in
The wiring was off
The fuses needed replacing
The knob needed a gentle touch
Our little Christmas tree
It leans slightly
And over the years
Sections of lights have gone dark
I brought it down
A couple weeks early
To consider its fate
The branches are in fair shape
But the lights
Life continued to press on
Not feeling the Christmas buzz
Waiting for cool weather
Tonight, I took it upon myself
To be the master gardener of sorts
Tree unplugged
Clippers in hand
Old lights were tediously removed
New lights carefully wrapped
Four hundred new lights
To be exact
And now, sitting by my well tended tree
There is that familiar buzz
That feeling of completeness
Of joyous waiting
Basking in the glow
I am renewed with thankfulness
One wild olive shoot
Grafted in
For all eternity
Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ
Faithful Lines 