Planting Gratitude

In my family we have a very interesting tradition for the Thanksgiving holiday that I truly think is unique.

It all started two years ago. As the holiday approached, my wife asked my daughter and me to go search for an old branch so we could plant it in our house. She called it a "gratitude tree." And I thought she was absolutely crazy.

It seemed so silly to me. I was basically being asked to search for a dried out stick to plant in a pot of dirt in my living room. But over the years I've learned to trust my wife's ideas (with fits and starts at least). So just as many people bundle up and hit the lots in search for the perfect Christmas tree, we donned our warmest clothes and walked our street in search of an old branch that kind of looked like a tree.

Thankfully we didn't have far to go. After all, my daughter was only three at the time. A long trip would have meant carrying the branch and her back to the house. So before we reached the end of the block I found our first gratitude tree. And let me tell you, it was a sad sight.

The branch was as dry as dry can be. It was empty of all life and I could barely extract it for the pile it was in without losing its perfect shape in a cacophy of cracking twigs. But my daughter loved it and I knew it was what my wife had wanted. So I gently lifted it up and carried it back to the house, where my wife had prepared a large pot with potting soil.

I couldn't have felt more silly. It was just plain ludicrous to put this branch in my home. But there was something cathartic about it as well. It was kind of a beautiful idea. To take something at the end of its life and give it new life and meaning. To remember what it once was by using it to remember all the good things that had happened to us during that year. So I went with the idea and put it in a place of honor in the front room.

Over the next few weeks I was blown away by what this "tree" would become to me. My wife and daughter made leaves out of all different colors of construction paper, then invited everyone who came to our house to write down what they were grateful for and tie their leaves to our tree. And over the course of those few weeks that dried out twig became a living thing again for one last time. It became a thing of beauty that reminded us of the grace God had favored us with and the good things that were awaiting us in the coming year.

I think the most telling thing was when it came time to actually replace our gratitude tree with our Christmas tree. We just couldn't get rid of it and ended up moving this reminder of everything that was good in our lives into the dining room. And long after the Christmas tree was removed from our house that gratitude tree stood proudly in our home.

This is only our third year of performing this tradition, but it already feels like the holiday's wouldn't be complete without it. It truly is that special to us all.

So tomorrow we go to find our next gratitude tree. We'll all bundle up this time, get in the car and go to a park to search for the perfect branch. And once again we'll remember all the good things that God has done for us.