Memories - by Magic^Lady
When I was a little girl, my dad would gather us all around: David, Cheryl, Jim and Mark. He would tell us about an adventure that he was going to take us on.
We were never fortunate enough to get a skunk or even see one, but my best childhood memories are of my family going on dad's adventures. We caught frogs, snakes and turtles; saw deer, fawns, muskrat, rabbits and groundhogs; picked raspberries, wine berries, blackberries, and huckleberries, but not once did we see a skunk.
I was 14 until I found out that skunks are nocturnal animals, but I didn't dare tell my dad.
I was 21 when I finally asked him why we hunted for skunks. He told me, "Memories don't just happen, you must create them."
It was a valuable lesson that I have adapted into my family and my life.
Another favorite memory are the social gatherings in the summer. We would often have friends over for picnics that would go late into the nights. We lived in South Jersey (Bridgeton) at the time. In order to keep the kids away from the adult conversation, we would be sent to catch fireflies.
We had to catch at least 10 fireflies before taking them to my dad. He could gaze into the jar, study them closely, and somehow amidst the flashing lights in the mayonnaise jar, my father could pick out the girl fireflies. He would give a nickel for each girl firefly. According to dad, there weren't many in that area. Before the night was over, dad was out 25 maybe 50 cents and everyone was happy and content. Adults and kids alike. Dad was the only one who could tell the difference. When we moved to PA he said that Pa had many more girls and not enough boys, so he paid a nickel for the boy fireflies instead. He passed the family secret down to each of us kids.
Now my kids bring fireflies to me and they get a dime for each boy (inflation).
Dad has been gone for 18 years now, but he was right....Memories have to be created!
MORE ON MEMORIES...
Christmas season is the time when we try to create memories. I grew up steeped in Christmas traditions handed down from my parents. I never realized how hard traditions are to carry on, until I had a family of my own. What traditions I had to pass on to my family, conflicted with my husbands.
We both celebrate the birth of God's son, Jesus Christ, but everything else had to be compromised.
I had to eat oyster stew on Christmas Eve.
I had to make the kind of Christmas cookies that his mom made.
I had to go to Christmas Eve services at a different time and church.
I had to use colored lights on the tree, we always used blue only.
I had to get a red tree shirt, we always used a white sheet.
I learned to make a birthday cake for Baby Jesus
But....
He had to open a gift on Christmas Eve.
He had to eat ham and not turkey for dinner.
He had to sign all the Christmas cards.
He had to put the "rain" on the tree, one at a time,
and so on and so on........
I guess our compromises will become our children's traditions and they will argue with their spouses when the time comes.
This year...I'm not sweating the little stuff. As long as our traditions center around celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, How could we possibly be compromising and traditions?
By "Magic^Lady"
