“And all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse”.... A simple reflection that embraces the past and instills renewed hope for the future in its continuity.
It’s so rewarding to take the time to think back to the traditions that were born alongside our children. They filled our hearts with an abundance of joy and we filled their lives with our love.
Now grown, all of us, the generation that bore these children when we were but wee adults and they now are at an age when they can actually remember who we were then.
If good fortune has crossed your door step, perhaps you have even added another role with the grandest of all titles to your lives.
It’s a second chance to correct those things that might’ve gone wrong as we developed those ties to our initial parenting skills.
Those new babies simply tend to adore us and hang on to our every word and story. It just makes sense that our own kids wonder who we have grown up to be now that seems so different from what they experienced.
They’re not wrong. But it’s their kids that reap those benefits of the kinder, calmer versions of ourselves since the pressures of the past are behind us.
Having come across an unexpected quandary of late and feeling the anxiety of the potential for the past traditions “going away” has driven the concerns to re-frame what was most important and what should be carried forward when we are here no more…not to be melancholy or morose…simply the truth about something important that needs to be said.
That’s when serendipity intervened and I came across these powerful words that emerged to sooth the worry and then laid the foundation for a new way of teaching these important concepts.
One Day, We won’t be around to keep everyone connected….
So when we are no longer here…promise us this…
To keep each other close.
Respect each other's differences.
Protect each other's hearts.
Check in especially when life gets busy.
Show up when it matters most.
We hope the way we loved you always pulls you back to each other.
That's the legacy we will leave…
That’s how you can honor this family.
(an excerpt from “A place for Mom”)
So as their desires to change up the traditions might come along and they lose interest in all the cooking and baking, WE have to make allowances ... .maybe it was all just “too much” anyway.
It’s time to sit back, hold fast to the expectations about the most important things…the standing together, shoulder to shoulder with the blessings of the best of the memories all while creating new ones to pass on to the younger generations.
It’s got to be okay to review these expectations before Christmas alongside any other major event that involves us. We’ve invested the time and now it’s time to trust that the lessons have become a part of the family's traditions going forward.
Happy, Blessed Holidays to All…! From my home to yours.
Pat Larsen is a syndicated columnist who lives, works, plays and prays in Greene County. NY with her husband and pup.
By all means give her a call to chat if you’d like to chat about a column or story you'd like to share.
518-275-8686
0 comments:
Post a Comment