Traditions

Tradition means "handing over, passing on", and can be done through the sharing of customs or rites, orally or through practice. I have shared many traditions I had growing up through the holidays and how they have provided me with such wonderful memories.

Traditions start easily. Once you have children and you do something more than once, you're going to be doing it forever because the children come to expect it (a real tree with homemade ornaments). Many times traditions are started intentionally by parents who want to create family roots or stability. This was the case for Jim and I having started our family living overseas, so far from family. Traditions are usually something that is a little more special — something that's anticipated and that you're greatly disappointed if it doesn't happen (like not having that expected green bean casserole).

Traditions bring us together. They keep us whole. They provide us stability in this crazy world we are subject to at this time. I have spoken of grandparents and my dad that no longer exist. I have shared the various places we have lived and worked. Life hands us changes, many unexpected, but the traditions survive; they are made of love and longing for what we value, and so we hold them close and take them wherever we go. They are wonderfully portable, which has made them easy for us to take from place to place.

Traditions can be shared, borrowed, or transferred from one person to another. Sometimes you have to start one and wait for it to really grow. But, if well cared for and fostered, it can provide us with years of pleasure. At their best, traditions make us better; at the very least, they remind us how far we've come and how lucky we are.