The Comfort of Tradition

Traditions and familiarity are important.

That savory aroma that brings you back to the comfort of your Grandmother's kitchen.

The gentle hum of the neighbor's lawn mower on warm summer afternoons.

The children's story book you read over and over and over until the cover was hanging by a thread and the jam-covered pages almost smiled at you.

The same Christmas treats, baked every single year; even though you add in new recipes, you will never not make the tried and true.

That list of favorite hymns that brings you back to your childhood church, as you stood right in the middle of your quiet, gentle, towering parents, soaking up the richness of the human voice reaching out to God.

New school supplies and clothes.  And a lunchbox. Every year.

The changing of the seasons, cold to warm to hot to cool and back to cold again.  Just like clockwork.
Your Mother, always in the kitchen taking care of the family after you trudged home and fell on the couch after a long day of school.
The well-worn places in your Bible, calling you over and over to stop and read and be refreshed and filled by His thoughts.

These things are comforting.  They speak without a word.  They are the invaluable sights and sounds and smells and feelings that have gently shaped us, year after year. They are the traditions, the familiar traditions that seem to possess a priceless ability to calm us and keep us grounded.

Every fall we have a celebration in our home.  Because Mom adores this time of the year.  And now my family does too.  We decorate and cook and light candles and have our once-a-year fall feast.  We find comfort in this tradition with each other. Danny even made sure he was off work for it. 
Joey got a care package with chowder soup mix, candy corns, and apple cider mix. But boy, was he missed. First year without him.

Whether Thanksgiving turkeys or Autumn leaves, our children's little hands have graced craft projects like this one for almost 20 years.

My lovely daughters put most of this together before I even got a chance to.
We don't' have a tablecloth long enough, so we just use a small one for a splash of color.  

Like our new fall goblets?  Emma and I found them at our grocery store for 75c a piece. Maybe someday I'll have real crystal instead of the cartooned-woodland-creature theme, but I'm not holding my breath!
 Clam chowder, real apple cider, apples with caramel dip, and candy corns are the menu each Autumn.  I know Dr. Atkins would not approve, but it really is yummy.  

And besides, it's tradition.