by Louise Clark
There is something about the evergreen tree. Spring, summer, winter, and fall, it remains standing, steadfast and strong.
Having lived as global workers in the Arabian Gulf for almost a decade, a detour in our journeys took us to a little house in the prairie state of Illinois. That first winter was mesmerizing! Amid a season of change, an evergreen tree stood tall in front of a white picket fence separating our yard from a farmer’s field.
I watched that tree over six winters. In our comings and goings, no matter the season, the tree stood. Even in the coldest of winters, as the boughs held the wet, heavy snow, still it remained standing. Strong and steadfast. Evergreen.
Reflecting on this Christmas season, I am reminded again of that tree. Our tradition of passing through the prairie and the days of gazing at the evergreen tree in winter have now come to an end. Unexpected tears are flowing as I know I’ll never see that tree in winter again. Yet I am thankful for the gift of photography, which captures life lessons I will remember forever.
How I long to stand steadfast and strong, yet the weight of a life forever in transition makes my heart, at times, heavy. I get weary of the hellos and goodbyes, change and moving, and the griefs and the sorrows of a life far from home, wherever that is.
I long for Christmas to be evergreen, not ever-changing. As I sit with the rain pounding on the tin roof of our house in this little corner of East Africa during an unexpectedly long rainy season, I find myself looking back with nostalgia at some of our ever-changing Christmases.
There were the Scottish Christmases with the whole family. Mum and Dad, my brother, the Grannies, Aunties, Uncles, and cousins playing silly party games, eating turkey before the tradition of listening to the Queen’s Speech.
The American years saw us trade turkey for Christmas Eve fondues, and Christmas boxes laden with gifts instead of stockings became a new tradition for our family. Our Arabian life combined a little of something from both of our cultures — in 100-degree weather!
Michigan Christmases with my husband’s family will never quite be the same with Dad and Mom having now passed away. This year, I’m excited to have Christmas in my Scottish homeland for the first time in ten years, but even that will look different. The grannies have long since passed away, my brother lives far from home, and it’s now the King’s Speech instead of the Queen’s speech.
With our kiddos now living all across the world, we are experiencing the quiet nest years (I don’t love the “empty” nest phrase). There’s comfort in the fact that next year we will return with our kiddos to Arabia for Christmas and celebrate and reminisce in the place where we all felt we belonged.
As my traditions, my experiences, and life as a global worker are ever-changing, I am learning to embrace and treasure the here and now. In my longing for routine, sameness, and traditions, I realized that Christmas is evergreen because He is evergreen. No matter where I live and how I celebrate the Christmas season, in every place and in every transition, He is there — never changing. My strength and my steadfast hope.
So this year as I gaze at my artificial pine Christmas tree, I will be forever reminded of the lessons that real pine tree taught me. When I am rooted in Him, I can weather the seasons of grief and sorrow because He is with me. When I can’t stand any more of life’s transitions, He carries me. Even when I feel like I am breaking under the weight of change and loss, I can cling to the hope I have in Him, for when I am weak, He is strong.
For those of us who live our lives as global workers, we grieve change while clinging to the true evergreen this Christmas season. He is never changing. He is our strength. He is steadfast. Thank God that our hope is in the One we call Emmanuel — God with us.
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Louise Clark is a Scottish girl who loves introverting at home. For a girl who said she would never leave Scotland, life as a global nomad has taken her on unexpected journeys, allowing her to experience home on five continents, nine countries, twenty-nine houses, and three U.S States. She now has a large collection of mugs from all the places she has lived. Louise is married to her favorite American guy, and together they raised three fantastic adult kiddos. After many years in the Middle East, they are now serving in an international school in East Africa. You can find her online at ramblesandjourneys.com.
