welcome fall!!

Traditions

Friday is the first day of Autumn and so begins Autumn traditions.  For my family, it begins with football games— supporting our local high school team on Friday night, watching college games on Saturday or the pros on Sunday –and in all honesty, it’s likely all three most weekends.  Autumn seems to be a season rich in traditions and traditions serve an important role in families. 

Family traditions allow for the passing of beliefs, attitudes and customs from one generation to the next.  Family traditions also carry“warmth” to them that allow for a closeness that is different from the everyday closeness a family hopefully feels.  While watching football may seem like an unimportant activity to some, it’s something we enjoy and an activity where we can pass along knowledge of sportsmanship and teamwork to our kiddos. 

I’m sure you can recall traditions from your own childhood and the simple act of remembering that tradition can bring back a warm feeling.  It may even be a smell that helps you remember a tradition.  My Grandma was known for her homemade angel food cakes.  The sight or smell of an angel food cake today brings joy to my heart because I get to remember my Grandma.   Traditions are a wonderful way to keep the memories of those who have passed alive in our hearts. 

What traditions do you and your family share?  From cooking, sewing or farming to singing, crafting, decorating or reading and everything in between, traditions help strengthen our families by keeping the past alive and by promoting a sense of belonging for the future.       

Happy Autumn!

Janel Perez, LPC