Times Change..Traditions Remain

One of my children drew this picture for me years ago.  It hangs inside of my computer desk door along with a few other pictures and some notes the kids have written me.  It is my way of being able to go back to the day of their sweet little voices and laughter, the times they always wanted to be hugged and when they were around the house more than gone.  Times have changed...traditions have not.  Our traditions become modified to be age appropriate, but our family remains at the center of it all.

I often wish I could go back to the "little kid" days.  Today in church, I watched the most adorable little girl in her Easter dress on her mommy's lap...hugging her tight with her little hands, touching her hair, and giving her kisses on the cheek.  I immediately thought back to the days when my daughter was that age...buying an adorable Easter dress, her wanting to sit on my lap and seeing the excitement in her eyes.  That part may have changed, but what has remained the same is my daughter was still there with our family in church on Easter Sunday, as she is every Easter.  Even more important, she sits next to me at church as a teenage girl, most every Sunday.   We didn't buy an Easter dress, but she looked beautiful just the same. 

Our traditions are based on our family and our faith.  On Easter, I still make baskets of candy and the younger kids in the family hunt eggs.  At the center of that fun, though, is the reminder of what the holiday is truly about.  We always gather as a family, enjoy a wonderful meal and spend time sharing stories and memories together.

As much as I sometimes wish I could go back in time, I truly enjoy the point we are at now.  We have established a strong foundation of family traditions and values that we are passing on to our children.
I guess I could say we don't have family tradtions...our tradition is our family.  God Bless you all on this Easter Day.

"He is Risen.  He is Risen Indeed!"