We Have To...It's A Tradition

"Because we have to, it's a tradition," she said.

I heard it from my Mom, my Grandmothers and my Granny while I was growing up.

And honestly, I really love tradition. I love it in family, I love it in community and I love it in a global way. Tradition feels respectful to me, and since I'm a warm and fuzzy kinda girl...it's good for me!

I never minded, a bit, wearing school colors on game day. I really looked forward to it, because it was a tradition in my hometown. I never questioned it...and neither did anyone else. Our school hallways were filled with kids wearing only blue and white. The downtown merchants painted their own windows every week with words of encouragement, and wore the school colors themselves on game days.



I never minded, a bit, "dressing up" for Sunday School - when I was a kid "dressing up" was traditional.



Now perhaps, what was not so traditional, is that my Dad was waiting outside church for us, with the horses loaded ready to race that day. Yup, we would run out of church, straight into the truck and head to the racetrack. (And believe me, I couldn't wait to get those itchy dresses off and slip into my jeans and boots!) Traditional for our family, true, but not for most. Actually, it made us feel special, this "tradition" we had that no one else did.



I never minded, a bit, that our hometown basically shut down (truly, all the stores closed) when we had 2 parades each year. It was tradition - no one minded everything was closed - because basically - everyone was there - participating in the traditional parade.



I never minded, a bit, that to this day...my Mom "owns" Christmas Eve. It's a tradition, the only time of the year that EVERYONE in our family knows to make no other plans - we are to be at her house for the afternoon and evening. Honestly, it's never been the most convenient tradition , but we've all worked around it and LOVE it to this day. There is a comfort for all of us to know that all her (now grown) grandchildren will fill that house, on that one day, for sure, absolutely. Their Nanny looks forward (and overworks herself because she LOVES it) to hosting, cooking, decorating and gifting each of them. They all seem to "sense" it, it is as much about pleasing her, and it is reaping the benefit of this one great eve.



There is a comfort, for me, in tradition. Maybe that's why I love traditions, both old and new.

I want my family, both close and extended, to know the comfort of tradition. I hope we can build from the wonderful traditions that already bless us...and create new for the generations to come. I would love to think that someday my granddaughter will be writing on her blog (or whatever it will be called then) about the traditions she treasures.

Tradition should not feel like a burden, it should feel like a blessing.

And, we should all be loving and wise enough to recognize it.

And so this thread begins...what are some traditions that you love about your family / community?

I hope you will post here, I hope you will feel the comfort and blessing of recalling your traditions today.

Perhaps I will make this blogging tradition, the recollection of the gifts we receive through the traditions of what has formed each of us.

Especially the traditions that make each of us feel special, we "own" them, they were created just for us...wow, what a gift!