2020 - Gratitude Day #22 - Traditions and Celebrations

 Gratitude Day #22

Today I am grateful for traditions and celebrations.

I am writing this as I think of an event that was taking place 43 3years ago as I write this - my wedding shower.

Many of my friends at the Washington DC Temple threw a shower to gift me and wish me well on my upcoming marriage. I still have the box of recipes they gave to me, and still use utensils in my kitchen...and, even still use the bath and hand towels! I also have the book of marriage advice they all wrote to me.

I need someone to throw me another shower.

But, that was just what would be the beginning of many traditions and celebrations in our family. Ours was a family that was always looking for a reason.

As I scrolled through some of these photos, I remember the baby blessings (christenings), the baptisms, the birthdays, the graduations, the formal pictures, that slap happy ones, the annual Christmas tree fight, and the last and final picture that would be taken of us on the day we buried my dad in 2002. It would be the last time my little family of six would all gather together as one, for the next time we would be together would be for son Peter's funeral.

We rejoiced as each new baby came into our family.

We cuddled many new family pets.

We cheered when someone was potty-trained.

We clapped when they blew out all of the candles.

Our Christmas mornings were joyful, even for some weary parents who had been up late the night before.

Our family sang together a lot.

Our family cried together a lot.

We had certain "family jokes" that usually got us in trouble. I can remember times when we sat in church when perhaps the speaker made a reference to something, not knowing that it was something that always tickled us at home. The six of us would sit with our heads down, not daring to make eye contact with each other as our shoulders were shaking.

Kerry's Christmas morning consisted of each child opening gifts one at a time - times eleven - so that all could see and admire what had been received.

My house consisted of me ripping through the presents with my parents warning me to not let the wrapping paper get too close to the fireplace.

I don't know how the annual Christmas tree fight began. For some reason, it would start out well, and then someone got offended because someone took their "branch". By the time we got to the end, I was sitting on the couch throwing the ornaments across the room and letting them land wherever they wanted.

I sort of miss the Christmas tree fights.

We made a trip to Utah at least every other year to visit with Kerry's family. It was hard, but I am so happy we did it. The family who lived in the west were not strangers to our kids. (This is why I say it would be difficult to find a family who could travel more inexpensively than we did. We had to. Everyone turned out fine.)

It was also a tradition that we all dressed alike when we were traveling. I was fortunate to either find shirts or make them so that we would be clones of each other. Lots of people just thought it was the cutest thing. But, there was purpose in this tradition - not only did I want to be able to keep my eyes on the kids; I wanted them to be able to find US.

One year at Disneyland, we were all dressed in red shirts. So was every other child in the park that day. However, my eyes kept falling back on to a man with a yellow shirt. After that, I noticed that in most crowds, yellow really stuck out. Soon, I had yellow shirts for all of us.

We cheered at graduations! High school, Basic Training, college...everybody knew their family was cheering and stomping their feet in the stands.

We still cheer from afar. All of the kids call home quite often to talk to us, to tell us of their successes and their family's, to talk over a big decisions that may be coming up, to discuss concerns.

We look back with them over the events of their childhoods. I hope it was happy for them. I'm not real sure how good of a mom I was. But, I hope their memories from all of the events where we clung together, when we held each other up, when we may have been disgusted with someone, and when we did the same thing year after year after year are things that evoke good memories for them.

Traditions and celebrations cause me to reflect. Many are ones that came from the families Kerry and I came from. Some were one we created ourselves.

And, they made me rejoice in family.

2019 - Gratitude Month #19 - Traditions

Gratitude day #19

Today I am grateful for traditions.

As we have gotten older, Kerry and I have both reflected on the traditions from our childhood, as well as those from raising our own family, that cause us to pause and smile.

Kerry's Christmas morning consisted of each child opening gifts one at a time - times eleven - so that all could see and admire what had been received.

My house consisted of me ripping through the presents with my parents warning me to not let the wrapping paper get too close to the fireplace.

Our own little family consisted of the first birthday cake being plowed into by the baby (in a high chair out in the yard close to the hose), completing all of the yard work and jumping into the back of the pickup truck to do an ice cream run, the smell of dinner cooking when we walked through the door after church on Sunday (everyone was groaning and slobbering), the blessing/christening of each of the kids (Kerry's mom made Harmony's little dress in the photos attached), and the annual Christmas tree fight.

I don't know how the annual Christmas tree fight began. For some reason, it would start out well, and then someone got offended because someone took their "branch". By the time we got to the end, I was sitting on the couch throwing the ornaments across the room and letting them land wherever they wanted.

I sort of miss the Christmas tree fights.

It was also a tradition that we all dressed alike when we were traveling. I was fortunate to either find shirts or make them so that we would be clones of each other. Lots of people just thought it was the cutest thing. But, there was purpose in this tradition - not only did I want to be able to keep my eyes on the kids; I wanted them to be able to find US.

One year at Disneyland, we were all dressed in red shirts. So was every other child in the park that day. However, my eyes kept falling back on to a man with a yellow shirt. After that, I noticed that in most crowds, yellow really stuck out. Soon, I had yellow shirts for all of us.

But, today is special because forty-two years ago I was sitting with dear friends in the Washington DC area at my bridal shower. I never thought I would ever get married, and the day was filled with young and old friends presenting me with presents and recipes and advice from their years of experience.

I still have and use many of those gifts, and have kept every one of the recipe cards.

As I recollect some of these traditions, I also hope that my memory remains good and clear so that I can look back on them and smile, knowing I tried to do the best I could do in providing meaningful moments for us all.

Gratitude Day #19 - 2018 - Traditions and Celebrations

Gratitude Day #19

Today I am grateful for traditions and celebrations.

I am writing this as I think of an event that was taking place 41 years ago as I write this - my wedding shower.

Many of my friends at the Washington DC Temple threw a shower to gift me and wish me well on my upcoming marriage. I still have the box of recipes they gave to me, and still use utensils in my kitchen...and, even still use the bath and hand towels! I also have the book of marriage advice they all wrote to me.

I need someone to throw me another shower.

But, that was just what would be the beginning of many traditions and celebrations in our family. Ours was a family that was always looking for a reason.

As I scrolled through some of these photos, I remember the baby blessings (christenings), the baptisms, the birthdays, the graduations, the formal pictures, that slap happy ones, the annual Christmas tree fight, and the last and final picture that would be taken of us on the day we buried my dad in 2002. It would be the last time my little family of six would all gather together as one, for the next time we would be together would be for son Peter's funeral.

We rejoiced as each new baby came into our family.

We cuddled many new family pets.

We cheered when someone was potty trained.

We clapped when they blew out all of the candles.

Our Christmas mornings were joyful, even for some weary parents who had been up late the night before.

Our family sang together a lot. That will be in tomorrow's post.

Our family cried together a lot.

We had certain "family jokes" that usually got us in trouble. I can remember times when we sat in church when perhaps the speaker made a reference to something, not knowing that it was something that always tickled us at home. The six of us would sit with our heads down, not daring to make eye contact with each other as our shoulders were shaking.

We made a trip to Utah at least every other year to visit with Kerry's family. It was hard, but I am so happy we did it. The family who lived in the west were not strangers to our kids. (This is why I say it would be difficult to find a family who could travel more inexpensively than we did. We had to. Everyone turned out fine.)

We cheered at graduations! High school, Basic Training, college...everybody knew their family was cheering and stomping their feet in the stands.

We still cheer from afar. All of the kids call home quite often to talk to us, to tell us of their successes and their family's, to talk over a big decisions that may be coming up, to discuss concerns.

We look back with them over the events of their childhoods. I hope it was happy for them. I'm not real sure how good of a mom I was. But, I hope their memories from all of the events where we clung together, when we held each other up, when we may have been disgusted with someone, and when we did the same thing year after year after year are things that evoke good memories for them.

Traditions and celebrations cause me to reflect. Many are ones that came from the families Kerry and I came from. Some were one we created ourselves.

And, they made me rejoice in family.

The last time we were all together - at my dad's funeral, 2002.