I was born and raised the biggest portion of my life in south eastern Kentucky. I was raised in a large family. My grandparents both had nine brothers and sisters. In turn my mother had seven brothers and sisters. My dad had ten brothers and sisters. I spent most of my time growing up with my family.
My memories are filled with summers setting on my grandma’s front porch with my family shucking corn, stringing beans, and canning for the winter months. There we would listen to the stories of my grandparents and other family members of when they were kids. As children we would run in the creek that ran by the house and catch crawdads, we would play in the world of our imaginations, and dream of the future that was to come.
Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays were spent sitting around a huge family table reading from the Bible the story of Jesus and his birth. Each face has been lovingly imprinted in my mind, each moment of time is tied more permanently to the next on the string of memories. Each tradition is held and carried out for the next generation to follow. A legacy of love that reaches back and then forward has been handed down for all eternity.
These were simpler times, slower times, maybe even easier times. In these moments things were not hurried, conversations were not limited, lives instead of things had value. Today we still live to some degree a little slower than the rest of the country, but the modern age has touched us to. Our traditions of big family get togethers have been replaced with e-mails and five minute phone calls, not even the good old fashioned postal system works anymore. Not that it is bad, but what happened to the personal face to face impact of life?
Our children when we get together crowd around a TV screen for a movie or video game. No longer is the outdoors and their own free imaginations an adventure anymore. Toys are bought more than made now and there is an obesity epidemic on hand.
How do we as individuals carry on family traditions now? Have we created our own? In my home we have kept the family meal a tradition at least on the weekend when we can all be together to share our lives and our stories. At night I tuck in my son with the reading of God’s Holy word, a song, and a prayer. At Christmas my dad still reads the story of Baby Jesus before we open presents for the grandchildren. As a wife I still carry on my mothers tradition of burning the midnight oil in prayer for my husband and family. Though the times have changed and some traditions have to I try to keep the ones that keep love alive and family close.
So, let me ask you what are your family traditions, what are the memories that you hold special? Share them with those close at hand and the tradition of generations live on….
