The hearty competitors, lining up for the opening ceremonies.
I spent the weekend with some of Husband's oldest and best friends--and as the years pass by, they are becoming some of my best friends, too. These are the people who can (and have...a zillion times!!) fill me in on Husband's many childhood stories.
I had a lot of time while Husband was playing ultra-competitive lawn games to ponder what exactly makes a tradition successful and long lasting. It would seem that many people have traditions that they held dear for a season, but they ended for one reason or another.
Husband and Tiny Twig in front of this year's scoreboard before the games began
At the lake this weekend, happened to be one of our dear friend's moms. She is Southern through and through, and I adore how independent and creative she is. She is a genius in the kitchen and seems thoroughly progressive in her ideas. Anyhow, she has been getting together for 14 years with a group of women for a beach week. 14 years! That's longer than some people are married!
At the beach, the cook, they laugh, they reminisce, and most of all--they are just themselves. They have a cookbook filled with the recipes they have collected and tried over the years at the beach. In this cookbook are also short narratives of their time together. They have contemplated writing a book about their time at the beach, which I think would be BRILLIANT.
the whole gang
I asked her, "What has enabled you to continue your traditions?". She responded--PERSEVERANCE and CONFLICT RESOLUTION, and FORGIVENESS. She said when researching for their book, many women they spoke with used to have a dear tradition that had since faded. When asked why their tradition didn't last, most women could point to an unresolved conflict that made it difficult for all the women to gather.
Perseverance, conflict resolution, and forgiveness. Recognizing the fact that tradition IS worth it, and it is worth persevering in the hard times. Tradition is indeed what makes life rich and satisfying. It is worth protecting and reinforcing.
Husband and Tiny Twig showing some muscle.
