For as long as I can remember Sunday has been my favorite day of the week. From the time I was a little girl I looked forward to getting “dressed up” for church. On many Sunday afternoons we left church and drove from Maryland across the Potomac River to Virginia to hang out with aunts, uncles and cousins.
The Skins’ win yesterday was a fun way to start the season!
One thing we didn’t do was watch football. Dad and Mom weren’t sports fans at that time. But after my brother broke his neck in a swimming accident, Mom started watching the Washington Redskins with him. Then when I married Benny, an avid sports fan, I was “obligated” to make the Redskins and the Auburn Tigers a part of my life.
Today my children and their children often come to our house on Sunday afternoons — especially in the fall. DVR’s have made it possible to record the 1:00 Skins games until we can get home to start it. I love the cheers and mess of adults crowding into the family room while cousins play, climb over aunts and uncles to grab M&M’s, and occasionally join in on cheers even though they have no idea why.
cousin.love.
You don’t have to watch Sunday football to create traditions to pass along to your children and their children. But traditions are important…and not just because they are fun.
Noel Piper, wife of John and author of Treasuring our Traditions, talks about why family traditions are important:
“[God] was the Author of traditions for His people throughout the Old Testament. He still invites us to His table on a regular basis for the sacred tradition of communion. Why? Because traditions are the equivalent of super-powered family glue. They keep us together and identify us as belonging.”
Hard to believe I begat this man. 🙂 A true fan.
Traditions like Sunday afternoon football, the must-have birthday cake, butterfly bedtime kisses or opening pj’s on Christmas Eve really can be “super-powered family glue.” We are fast approaching the holiday season when traditions bring richness and warmth to what can easily become a consumer-oriented and stressful few months. Hanging out yesterday watching the Redskins with some of my people has me thinking about the joy of “belonging” to a family.
I’ll be blogging more about this soon…
Faith Rising 