“We love each other because He loved us first.” 1 John 4:19 (NLT)

Establish

This gal LOVES family traditions! So much so, that I’d clung tightly to the ones we’d established over the years (some since my childhood) without much variance despite our children being grown. From new PJ’s on Christmas Eve, to saying what we’re thankful for around the Thanksgiving table, to everyone’s favorite dishes for their birthdays, it was the same every year and that’s just the way I liked it. Then in a blink of an eye things changed.

Life does that…change, I mean. I’m not a fan. Now, not all changes are bad ones. We’ve been blessed to add a new son and daughter to our family. What you don’t really think about though, is that with them comes their own beloved traditions and families to celebrate them with. I never thought I’d survive not being all together on Christmas Day. That transition was hard! Maybe you know all about it.

We’ve all been through it. A loved one is gone, someone moves away, out of nowhere a pandemic hits, or it snows and travel is out of the question. Whatever the reason, the truth is that what WE establish in our world is only temporary. 

That realization set in once again this summer as I sat scrolling through Pinterest. Our youngest grandson was about to celebrate his first birthday. Traditionally, it has been me who’s baked and decorated the boys’ “smash cakes.” So there I was, searching for ideas when reality hit hard. Sutton’s health had changed in a split second and now, he wouldn’t (maybe ever) be able to eat his own birthday cake, or Halloween candy, or Christmas cookies. Talk about difficult…

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NLT)

Learning to let go of MY deeply-rooted traditions has been a process, but surprisingly (to me) doing things differently isn’t so bad after all. Getting together on a different day, sending things in the mail and then being on Face Time together, or thinking outside the box to celebrate in new ways can be just as meaningful as those time-tested favorites of seasons gone by.

As it turned out, I was able to make a cake for Sutton to smash on his birthday. The ingredients were different so that it wouldn’t harm him if he happened to get some in his mouth, but it was made with the very same love that I made his brothers’ with. That’s the thing that change is teaching me, it’s not really the traditions that are important. It’s the love we share.

“Three things will last forever-faith, hope, and love-and the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13