Memories and Traditions

1 Corinthians 11:2

 I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you.

I’ve been thinking a lot about traditions, you know those things we do because that’s what our family always does.  Today in our social media driven society and topsy turvy lives, traditions either go by the wayside or they are planned to be the perfect, choreographed experience.

Back in the day, traditions were handed down from one generation to the next by word of mouth or sometimes written out.  Traditions included those yummy and mostly unhealthy recipes that were handed down from generation to generation.  It might be saying grace before a meal or reading a bedtime story to our children before they go to bed. What about eating Thanksgiving dinner on grandma’s china?

One tradition my family has is going to the movies on Christmas.  We do not live close to our extended family and due to my husband’s work schedule, we are not able to visit family during the holidays.  When the kids were young, we hung out at home and they played with their toys.  When they became teenagers, we started running out of things to do and everyone ended up in their room once we ate lunch.  So we decided to go to the movies.  We take turns choosing which movie we see as a family.  If my husband or son chooses, it’s usually an action film or sci-fi, whereas, when my daughter or I chose, it’s either a chic flick or musical.  This is something we look forward to.

 

I Thessalonians 3:6  

But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.

I am on the launch team for a new book, The Daily Question for You and Your Child by Waterbrook.  It’s a beautiful guided journal  and keepsake for parents/grandparents or any other significant adult and child with 365 thought provoking questions that can lead to some awesome family discussions.

This is a perfect book for the beginning of the school year where you can make memories  or would be an excellent Christmas gift for a particular family.  Or for that matter, it would be a great baby shower gift for the mom who has everything.

“Take care of all your memories. For you cannot relive them.” ~ Bob Dylan

I recently visited my parents in Louisiana and while I was there, one of my cousins gave me a clipping from a Christmas cactus that belonged to my grandmother.  My grandmother died when I was in 6th grade, so that’s an old plant.  At first I was nervous because I’m not good with plants, but she assured me that if I killed it, she could give me another clipping and not to worry about killing the family plant.  Anyway, I showed my plant to my dad and he got tears in his eyes.  He talked about how my grandfather actually took care of all of my grandmother’s plants because she was too ill to take care of them.  He also shared that the plant was on her front porch when she died.  So after all these years, my dad is going to get a clipping.

Dear brave mama, our most precious memories and traditions are probably not pintrest worthy nor are they outrageously expensive.  Something as simple as a Christmas cactus or a guided journal can bring joy for years to come.  So just live life and let the memories happen.

 

“I have the best memories as a kid eating ice cream. It was a family tradition that I had with my father. It was nice.” ~Michael Strahan