This is for you, Grandma,” Ruthie said, handing me a little boot ornament. “I made it myself. It got broke, but you can fix it.”

“I just love it, Ruthie,” I told her, meaning every single word. “It’s beautiful.”

Next was Charlie and he handed me a tiny heart ornament. Painted a beautiful red.

“Charlie, this is beautiful, I just love it. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Charlie said in his 9-year-old voice.

And next Jude placed his little gift in my hand. I carefully removed the red tissue paper and uncovered his ornament which was a painted present with a bow.

“Mine doesn’t have to go on the tree,” Jude volunteered. You can put it anywhere.”

“I think I’ll put it on a tiny easel,” I said. “What do you think about that?”

“That would be good,” he answered in his soon to be eleven year old voice.

I sighed, looking at the ornaments that were put on the tree right along with the ones Grandpa was given. The tree that my grandchildren decorated this year.

“I made one for you too,” my thirty-something son said.

Reaching it out to me I smiled and took it, eager to see what he had come up with.

And then he added three words which took my breath away. “It’s Livie’s feet. Heather and I made a mould of her feet on the day she was born. This is a relief from that mould.”

Ever so gently, I removed the red tissue paper. And as I unwrapped it, I carefully traced the little ornament with my fingers. Livie’s ornament was placed in a prominent spot on the tree. She had not been forgotten at all.

And while we welcomed Livie’s little brother, Benjamin, this year, we still kept a spot in our hearts for the 14-month-old miracle God let us meet and love.

As we sent up white balloons on the day of her funeral, we knew one day we will see her again.

I’m not going to lie, it’s been hard without Livie. And it didn’t matter that we were told she would not be here long. With each passing day and week, we started to hope maybe she would continue defying what they said about babies with Trisomy 18. Maybe she would be around for a while.

But March 11th, 2016, Livie took her last breath here, and her first in heaven.

“She went to sleep in her mother’s arms and woke up in the arms of God.”

I look at the little ornament on my tree and I have to sigh. To think I could have a memento of that wonderful day when she came to be part of our family. A place she would always have.

Christmas is a time of celebrating the birth of Jesus. The one who came as God’s gift to us.

That Christmas memory is a very special one. Full of homemade gifts wrapped with love. Just like little Livie.

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