TRADITIONS

I am sitting at my computer very early this morning and for the first time in a week the house is quiet. Everyone is still asleep and I have a few minutes to myself. Since last Saturday we have had a house full of family and things have been very lively to say the least. Some people may think this would be a nightmare, but I absolutely love it. I wait all year for it.

We moved to Tennessee in 1992 from the coast in Mississippi. All of our family lived an hour away in south Alabama. The families had always gotten together for Thanksgiving there, but that first year everyone thought it would be fun to spend the holiday in the mountains. Well, it has now become a tradition.

There are people literally all over the house. I have single beds set up in our garage that we make into a "dorm" complete with a television for the video games that everyone brings and tables and chairs for games and snacks. Every regular bed is full, of course, along with blow up mattresses put just about anywhere there is floor space.

I have cooked for months and put things in the freezer. I also feel like I have stood at my sink for an eternity washing dishes and preparing more food. You see, 5 of the people are college students and they can literally eat you out of house and home!!!

Last night during our Thanksgiving meal though, I stood back and looked at this family of mine. They were all talking and laughing while they were fixing their plates. You could hear comments about how they couldn't wait for their "favorite" dish. I also heard some of them talking about how they enjoyed the tradition of being here and doing the same thing every year.

Aren't we funny people the way we love our traditions? They are so very important in shaping our lives. There is just something about knowing that certain things remain the same, year after year after year,

My prayer is that we can continue doing this with our family until God takes us home. Then we can enjoy a banquet together like we have never known!!!