HOUSTON — Every day, in the quiet of her front yard, Jenny Leago takes a look at her "prayer tree" -- now filled with ornaments that carry the heartfelt hopes and struggles of people in her northwest Houston community.
Leago got the idea about two weeks ago and shared it on Facebook, inviting her neighbors to share their prayers.
Since then, there 35-40 different ornaments with prayers have been placed by neighbors.
The very first ornament, Leago said, was someone praying for people to love each other more.
"Some of it's really heartbreaking, to, to read some of these," she said.
Others paint a picture of what many are going through -- grief, loss and health issues.
"They lost a baby recently. This one is a single mom of four. She lost her job. This one is for fighting prostate cancer. This one just says 'My son is struggling,'" Leago said.
Reading the prayers has been an emotional experience for Leago.
"It just shows me that there's so much hurt in our community that we don't even realize," she said.
But the tree is more than just a way to express pain, it’s also a source of hope.
"They're putting their hope in God," Leago said.
Leago, who has lived in her home for nearly 50 years, felt called to create the prayer tree this holiday season.
"There’s always things in our lives that cause us to hurt and be sad," she said. "But during the holidays, those things are just exaggerated."
The tree also serves as a reminder to be kind to others.
"You don't know what that person in front of you at the store, behind you, at the store or in the mall or wherever, you don't know what their home life is like, you know, and they just need a kind word or a smile or something," she said. "So many people struggle, but they also know there’s hope."
Next to the tree is a box filled with blank ornaments ready for prayers to be heard.