If you were to meet me, live with me for a while, and watch how I live, you’d probably not think me the most traditional of girls, but deep in my heart I hold tightly to the Traditions of yesterdays.
While nearly everything in my world is different than it was five years ago when my brother moved out on his own (ultimately to Tennessee) and we made the great trek from my childhood home state of Alaska to the unknown world of Colorado. Lots of happy things have happened. Lots of sad things have happened, and deep in my heart I know that the traditions that represent many happy, wonderful years won’t ever be the same again. Life changes sometimes mean that even cherished traditions must change, too. And it isn’t even necessarily a bad thing!
I’ll miss the Thanksgivings and Christmas times I have always known. I’ll miss having my whole family together. I’ll miss standing around the table and singing “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow”, sharing our biggest and littlest blessings, dressing up in outfits for the day, and sharing our “traditional meal”, complete with sparkling juice, cranberry sauce and lots of love. I’ll miss the laughter that is present at every family occasion. Most of all I miss the sister who made these times as happy as they were.
It isn’t always easy to close the old chapters, and open new ones, as happy and wonderful as those new ones are. Sometimes the twinge of pain carries on a little into the new one, and I doubt I’ll ever not feel the empty spot in my heart, but the new chapter is filled with happy, wonderful, beautiful things and abundant blessings and I find that these joys make the past pains not so sharp as they once were.
I’m looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with the biggest blessing I’ve ever received– Scott. I’m looking forward to holding and getting to know our little Thanksgiving “gift” of our new little nephew this year. I’m looking forward to sharing some of my traditions with my new family- especially my youngest brother in law.
I’m not sure how the traditions I cherished will fit into this new life, but I’ll always keep the happiness they represent wrapped up with my costumes, with my memories, close to my heart this Thanksgiving. I will take the happiness I grew up with and learn to use old traditions to create new, better ones.
I don’t know how this new Thanksgiving will look…but I know it will be a Happy Thanksgiving, nevertheless.
Have a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving, Chantel and Scott!
And to all you beautiful girls, I wish the same for you!
That was truly beautiful Chantel! May God bless your Thanksgiving this year and give you more blessings than ever before to be thankful for.
Because of Grace,
Maiden Princess
What darling pictures, Chantel!
I came across a bit of wisdom from a father to a son in their family journal, written in 1892:
“I see your page speaks of life and death…you will find them more or less mingled. Joy and pain, gladness and sorrow, sunshine and shadow seem to walk hand in hand. This teaches us to fix our eyes on that better Country, where the years are hastening us.”
It does often seem that, as you said, a twinge of loss carries over into the joy of blessings, for often the Lord takes one thing away to replace it with something different…or with Himself.
Praying your first Thanksgiving as a married couple is richly blessed!
Happy Thanksgiving, dear Chantel! *Hug!*