This years ornament sold in conjunction with Hospice of the Carolina Foothills annual Tree of Life celebration, is in the shape of a maple leaf. Each one will be imprinted with the year 2010 and the name of a loved one being honored or remembered. This keepsake ornament will then join the ranks of those treasured mementos, packed away each year in January, or left out as a constant reminder of someone important to us.

I look at life as a tree, says Diane Nelson, development manager at Hospice. Were all leaves, and we are all constantly contributing on some level, whether were still attached nurturing and giving or have fallen, and are nurturing the soil.&bsp; We are all connected in some way, and the leaves are created to encompass this truism. It is our hope that in the upcoming weeks the maple leaves will allow for reflection upon those who are alive, as well as those who have passed on.

Local artist and Hospice volunteer Linda Wulff creates the ornaments from freshly collected maple leaves. Each individual leaf is rolled in clay, then cut out, stamped, kiln-fired and individually glazed.

Ornaments may be reserved now through November 30, through the giving of a donation of any amount, and special order forms are available at the North Carolina Services Center in Columbus (behind St. Lukes Hospital), at the South Carolina Services Center and Hospice House in Landrum, and at the Hospice Thrift Barn in Landrum.

The Tree of Life celebration will be held at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, December 14, at the Hospice House in Landrum. For more information on purchasing an ornament or making a donation in memory or honor of someone to whom you wish to extend a very special recognition, call Diane Nelson or Maureen Murphy at HoCF at 828-894-7000 or 864-457-9122.