I don't believe I will ever be too old to learn....Never too old to make mistakes. And it seems no matter what age, change is never easy. Most times it's not something that we want to jump right into.
Sometimes the nit picky things that use to make ones blood boil are the very things we find that we miss the most. Things that didn't make sense then, have become crystal clear now.
We all have the best of intentions. We all want what's best.......Sometimes change is not what we need when there has already been too much change blowing in. I understand tradition now more than I ever have before. Tradition gives us a sense of security. Brings the true meaning of family closer to the heart. Tradition is the voice of the past that speaks to all of our souls. Tells us a story....A story that was written long, long a ago......And there are times when you just can't break tradition.....because with out it we feel lost, confused and unstable......
He was the glue that kept this family together and sometimes we got our toes stepped on. It was hard for us to understand then how important his ways were.....His ideas and his blunt, and sometimes overbearing, take action kind of personality rubbed against the grain.......But oh how important our Patriarch was to this family. How precious was he. How "One of a kind" he was. How he was all ours.....How much more I now see we needed him. And ironically enough isn't that what change does? It grows us...takes our blinders off. Helps us to see our selfish ways. Helps to see why we should cherish not only the sweet memories, but how we should also cherish the hard moments in life. The ones that make us feel ashamed.....the ones that show us our mistakes....the ones that bring to light how communication is the key to any relationship.
This Christmas showed me how truly selfish I had been in the past. How sometimes my words can become misunderstood.....How my thoughts effect loved ones around me...Because even though they can't read my mind, they can still read my attitude..... And that makes me feel broken inside.....
Sometimes when we attempt to change tradition it truly shows how much we all needed to come together at the end of the day and make what was so wrong so perfectly right.
Family will always be precious to me. And no matter how big we become there will always be room at the table for just one more.....No matter how loud, how crazy how big our family becomes it will be our "one of a Kind" ...Ours to cherish from generation to generation. I pray the Traditions continue....But most of all that Jesus will always be the glue that holds us together even when we feel like we are falling apart.
God Bless you all! May you hold your Traditions close, but hold your family closer.
