I was shopping the other day with a friend and happened to ask the gal at check-out if she had any plans for the weekend. She proceeded to tell us about hosting a baby shower for her daughter and then having a Grandma Party the next evening. Of course, we asked her to explain the Grandma Party. She decided to celebrate herself becoming a grandma and invited friends and family to dress up like a “grandma”. They then proceeded to have grown-up treats and maybe even go to a pub all dressed up. The husbands even dressed like grandmas! We thought that sounded hilarious! It had become a tradition as this was not her first grandchild to be on its way.
Traditions, whether old or new, offer us opportunities to connect with others. It seems that when we stick to old traditions, even our ancestors seem to take part in the festivities.
New traditions may take us by surprise. When Phil and I went gluten free years ago, there went the traditional stuffing for turkey dinner. I was devastated as that is the main reason for turkey dinner, right? I just happened to stumble upon a recipe for cornbread stuffing after making a huge dish of cornbread we could never finish. So, I tried the cornbread stuffing. Surprisingly, the cornbread stuffing was yummy! I couldn’t imagine anything beating traditional bread stuffing, but there it was!
This year, I may attempt to make homemade gluten free bread and then make traditional (to me) stuffing. Or shall I make the cornbread stuffing again? What a challenging yet joyful decision!
What traditions bring you sweet (or delicious) memories? What traditions bring a sour taste to your awareness and beg to be forgotten? You get to choose! What family traditions bless your journey? What might you be ready to leave behind?
Please know that even though your most recent family may be reason for discarding a tradition, your ancestors jump for joy when you try new things. Consider the hardships they endured just to create a pathway for you to exist. Your lineage goes back centuries whether you know their names or not! Why wouldn’t they enjoy you taking your life into your own hands and making the most of it?
Heart decisions, whatever the motivation, lead us to traditions. A tradition forms when we decide to take an action from this day forward whether our ancestors did it or not. From now on, I (we) will do this . . .
What might your heart decide? Notice what brings you joy. Joy holds a rightful place in our existence. If something no longer brings joy – stop doing that! Replace it with joy-creating activities!
Let joy lead the way! Let the ancestors cheer.