I grew up in a home that was steeped in traditions.  Now…as I grew up I did not realize that they were ‘traditions’, nor did I understand that they were helping shape who I would become…they were just part of everyday life!  This is the beauty of traditions and family!  Unlike the necessary rigid calendars that keep the family activities on time and on track…and unlike necessary strict rules that keep family members from getting in trouble or veering off the path of right and wrong…traditions just happen in the daily living and growing up as a family.  And then…they are passed down for generations to come.  No one left home with a rule book telling us what traditions we were ‘required’ to pass onto our children…we just automatically do it ~ almost without thinking about it. 

I had time to reflect on this over the weekend.  It was a beautiful East Texas fall day….perfect pumpkin carving weather!  (perfect because we could do it outside and not on my kitchen floor!).  This is one of our family traditions…one started by my mother when I was a child.  As my entire family sat out in the warm sun and cool breeze carving out faces and pictures from our pumpkins, the topic of this tradition came up.  My 18 year old son’s girl friend had joined us this year and I learned that this was the first pumpkin she had ever carved in her 16 years.  I was amazed…I thought everyone did this.  But once again, I was reminded that we all have our family traditions that are unique to us.  As soon as my children were old enough to get their hands into a pumpkin and scoop out the goo…we have been carving them as a family.  Of course…as they have grown ~ they now do more of the carving themselves and at the same time seem to be more ‘grossed out’ by the scooping part…’MOOOOMMM…can you do this for me?!’ 

For us…the tradition is so ingrained that my kids had their carving pumpkins picked out and purchased weeks ago ~ in anticipation of carving day the last weekend in October.  It felt so good to see my oldest set aside time on his busy Saturday to be sure he did not miss the event.  It was fun to hear #3 (who just turned 14) say “next year mom…my goal is to carve the entire pumpkin without any help!”. 

Next year he said…wow ~ I can’t seem to put into words the warmth that fills my spirit hearing my children making plans for keeping family traditions alive.  There are so many things we wish they would do without us telling them to (take out the trash…feed the dog…) but the traditions they do without a reminder.

This is why I know that the time we spend together as a family makes a difference. This pumpkin carving tradition was about an hour or so of time spent together. It wasn’t the carving that made an impact…it was the conversations shared while we carved and the encouraging words and compliments given as pumpkins took shape. The rest of the day was spent with us all scattered about doing our weekend activies…but this one hour of a 48 hour weekend made a lifetime impression.

So our traditions shape who we are…just as our time spent connecting at the family dinner table. What are some of your traditions that have been passed down for generations? How does it make a difference in your lives? What tradition do your children look forward to every year?

God Bless and Keep You,

Tami

As I was reading through the comments posted over the last 24 hours I was inspired by the comment from my Mom on the Family Traditions posting.  The timing was amazing.  Mom shared the Christmas Eve family tradition I grew up with and have now established with my family.  I’ve known that my children have enjoyed this tradition every year…but it was driven home just today.  I held a Sales and Marketing Planning Meeting in my home today and was cooking some things in preparation for it while my 13 year old son sat at the kitchen bar eating his cereal for breakfast.  After a few minutes of silent observation, he asked me “Mom, is this a Christmas meeting?  Do you have the cheese and beef log?”  The smells in the kitchen (caramel apple cider, an apple coffee cake…) reminded him of our Christmas Eve traditions and I was touched that he made the connection. 

 We just never know how the little things are noticed…but we can be sure they are watching!  I treasure those one off moments when a child makes a statement that seems so simple but drives home the message that what we are doing is making a difference!  For years now, even the youngest (now 11) starts asking in October “mom…when are we going to make our fudge?”  I remember the year that I got so caught up in the ‘busyness’ of launching this company that it got to be Christmas week and we had not made the fudge.  It broke my heart when Micah asked me when we were going to make it.  How could I have been too busy for that long time tradition?  I had not realized how special that time had become to all of them.

But it happens…we get caught up in the ’busyness’ of the daily demands and can lose sight of the simple things that  matter the most.  Time spent in the kitchen making cookies and then sharing the first batch hot out of the oven over a glass of milk and the events of the day.  Future plans made and dreams cast as you and a teenager stir a pot of slowly simmering spaghetti sauce.  These are the simple things that they seem to notice most and that seem to make the lasting impressions.  These are the things they bring up years later and remember with fondness…the things you thought they never noticed! 

That year I forgot the fudge made a lasting impression on me.  Now, when I am tempted to tell them that I just need to get this meal made on my own so I can get it done faster, I slow down long enough to make time for those simple moments.  Does it matter if dinner is 15 minutes late tonight?  Is there anything so important that being 15 minutes late to it will be more life changing than the 15 minutes spent together?

I am sure we are all aware of the devasting shootings in our schools these last few weeks and it’s at times like these that we wonder what we can do?  It’s simple really…tell a child today that they are important by slowing down long enough to make a memory.  The kitchen is a great place to start and then let it carry over to the dinner table.  What are your memories and traditions that you are passing on to your family?

God Bless and Keep YOu

Tami

p.s. if you are touched by the recent events in our schools, visit our link listed on this blog for Life Choices…they too want our children to hear the message that they are important!

Families often bond together over mealtime and kitchen traditions. This is a place to share yours and inspire others! Maybe you have a family cookie day where everyone comes together to compete for the best holiday cookie honors. Maybe you have a family cook off every year that serves as the center piece of the annual family reunion. Or more simply … maybe you have a traditional meal served every year that is not to be missed. This is the place to tell us about those traditions.

One of our favorite family traditions, passed down from generation to generation, is that of sharing the “comfort and joy” of breaking bread with friends and family. This has been carried out through our family tradition of giving food as gifts, year after year. The joy of family time together making the goodies that we then give as gifts to those we love and care for is a part of the tradition! This is a space where we can share our treasured family traditions and learn new ones from each other. So, what are some of YOUR favorite family traditions? … I’d love to hear about them! Tami