Rituals, Traditions, Customs... The Greatest of these is LOVE

A regular, repeated action is considered a ritual. A tradition is an inherited pattern or thought out action. A custom is a specific practice of long standing. The common thread in these actions is that they are repeated. Albeit they are different forms of recurrences, there is still repetition. Sometimes these actions are so common those that witness it become oblivious. Sometimes, we that are participating don’t think about them as we do them.

I was blessed to live next door to my paternal grandparents and around the corner from my maternal grandmother. My family’s rituals, traditions, actions and customs had a profound effect on my life. As we celebrated my mother’s 75th birthday this weekend and it really made me think about how important family is. It invoked feelings and thoughts in me that I had not really thought about until now.

In retrospect, I remember the following:
· My grandparents always rose early, had juice, milk , wheat toast, and some form of bran cereal for breakfast, ate their heavy meal in the middle of the day and fruit and a light snack for supper. They lived well into their 90’s.
· My mother has and always has had a nightly routine for her face. She always cleanses it and puts cream on it every night. Usually with Oil of Olay. Her mother did the same thing. When my grandmother passed away she did not look her age. My mother’s skin is still smooth and taut and she looks YEARS younger than she really is. victoriousg: http://twitpic.com/4mu30 My 75 year old mom!
· My girlfriend’s mother always had a list of chores that had to be completed before we could go out. As a result, my girlfriend is VERY organized and uses “to do” list to this day.
· We opened Christmas presents on Christmas Eve as a family. We would wait for my grandmother to get home from Mass. Christmas is a very important holiday in my life. It represents the birth of my Savior and family.
· My grandmother always cooked a big meal on Saturday. She expected us all to come by her house and eat of it. My grandparents cooked on Sunday and expected the same thing. As a result, we all generally saw each other weekly. Again… family.
· We went to church on Sunday and were taught the importance of prayer. It was not taught verbally, but I learned it through action. Prayer is my direct communication with Him.
· My grandfather cooked the meats and cakes and my grandmother cooked the veggies. They worked crossword puzzles together and silence in the room meant contentment. I learned the meaning of true everlasting love. They were married 70 + years.
· My sister always sang in the car and in the house. She taught me how to harmonize. I learned the importance of singing from your heart when I heard her sing at a graduation function at Chatham Hall.

· My dad took excellent car of his 8 tracks, albums, cds. He taught me how to hold them correctly and take care of them. He always had the latest music. Music was ALWAYS playing. In the house, in the car, everywhere. He LOVED his music. This is deeply rooted in me to this day.

· We always had a pet. We had choo choo, Shaft, Sir Andrews, Westie, fish and cats. My sister was allergic to cats. We as young kids didn’t understand the concept of allergies. (Sorry Mimi). We learned how to love our furry family members. We learned the importance of caring and being kind.

All in all…. My family’s rituals, traditions, actions and customs taught me love. Love is the greatest gift that we can give to each other. All of us expect it in different ways, depending on our love language. (That’s a blog for another time). Love each other with your WHOLE heart and remember the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:8-11 & 13 NIV
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me…...

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love