Ramblings From Ole Ma

As I sit here, I'm still aglow from the weekend. It wasn't just Mother's Day; it was Hannah's 23rd birthday. For 23 years now, she and I have fished on this celebratory weekend. It started when she was just a few days old, and now here we are, with her all grown up and coming home to fish with old Ma.

And of course, in between casts, that had me thinking and reflecting on how traditions are so often formed when we don't even realize it. Sometimes it's just the simple things, and pretty soon, those moments become memories. It's kind of like when the pigs give birth; we used to rush down there, and one by one, the kids would arrive with snacks and drinks, no matter the day, time, or weather. Here they come, one by one, gathering up to watch those babies be born. Pretty soon, it just became tradition that when a pig is in labor, we gather at the barn as a family and share this special moment together. I'm not sure exactly when it became a tradition, but here we are, and it is. Of course, the older kids have grown and are doing their own thing, but if they're around and a pig's in labor, down they wander, grabbing a chair to sit and watch, rekindling some of those special times together.

Another silly tradition that just sort of happened was night sledding. We're not even sure what year was the first year we did it, but through the years, it's become something the kids look forward to. The first night that it's snowy enough to sled and all the kids are home, it just happens. Kyle grabs the sleds, and the kids grab glow sticks, and out they go. You can hear the laughter and the fun echoing across the snowy quiet ground.

And it has me thinking about the scripture "train a child up in the way they should go, and when they're older, they won't depart from it." As a Christian mom, of course, I want to train them in the Lord, but if you set that part aside and just think about the verse, it really is true, isn't it? We're training up these little children, and when they're older, maybe they'll share some of these traditions with their kids. 

We never really know when those traditions are going to begin, and sometimes, I think some of the best ones are the ones that just form organically and naturally without anyone thinking, "Oh, this needs to be the tradition." We get caught up in the hassle, headache, and holding to tradition, but more so, I think we should just focus on those little tiny moments, those little inconspicuous everyday things that eventually become something very special.

It's like laying the foundation of love to build a living legacy.

I don't know, just some rambling thoughts from an old Ma with the fishing pole in her hand.