Sunday Serenity: Traditions Old & New

Our family is all about tradition. Whether it be Sunday family dinner, the annual it must be the perfect Christmas tree hunt (hubby does that one), ~favorite meal~ birthday dinners, fish fries, Bears football games of which the outcome is never pretty, gin games, etc. etc. etc., our traditions mean everything to all of us, and I'm certain most will live on through this generation and all of our generations to come. That said, it's truly not easy establishing a new family tradition that you just know is going to last a lifetime or two or three.

Well now! I'm astonished and very pleased to report that this past Thanksgiving another lifelong family tradition was firmly born; one I really do believe will continue for many years to come:

About 30 minutes before we were all to sit down for our yearly feast, Remy (the hubs & my eldest daughter) announced that she had something she wanted us all to participate in. She told us she'd cut out leaf shapes and wanted each of us to write down one thing we were thankful for. We were then to take the leaf and place it written side down on one of the plates and then be sure we didn't sit where our leaf was. Rem said we could write whatever we wanted, happy, funny, deep thought, goofy - whatever we wanted. Well, just about all of us laughed at this silly idea but being the ~good sports~ we are, played along.
We all sat down to our first course of lasagna - yup, another lovely family tradition (from the Varco side) that's taken place every single year I've known my husband, 32 Thanksgivings so far - and Rem announced that each of us was to read the leaf note at their plate. It was simply magical. There were fun moments, solemn moments, laugh-out-loud moments, thankful moments and, as we discovered as the leaf notes were being read...themed moments - it became obvious there had been ~talk between folks~ before they wrote their thankful one thing down... a Heather thing seemed to be going on... (In all honesty, I feel I must report my dad had to have read my mother's leaf before he wrote his own, see below.)

And every single one of the 30 or so gathered around our Thanksgiving tables agreed this tradition-in-the-making was one that would have to be repeated each Thanksgiving for all the years to come, whether we originals were all together again or were celebrating at different tables with other family and friends.

~~~

xoabb

Thank you Remy!
What a sweet & wonderful tradition/memory you've created!

~

The Notes, in no particular order:

I am thankful for:

The Blue Hornet {a car}, Sunday Fundays, Love & Family

Thankful for the 3 H's: Health, Happines & Hard-ons

That I have lived long enough to enjoy my family & George's Bloody Marys

Gin @ 5 (mom)

Mary + Gin @ 5:30 + Ann & George for giving us this extended family (dad)

Dolfin cheerlearders

I am thankful for "beer pong" and "flip the cup"

Thankful for "pink" & Heather

For being here today w/my whole family!

My kids ~ and Heather

The Thanksgiving keg ~ & Heather

I'm thankful for my family

I am thankful for the love of family and friends

I am thankful for my mom and dad

My dad breaking the vegan code ~ and Heather

I'm thankful for all the great people I'm spending Thanksgiving with

I'm thankful the Murray girls are doing all the dishes

For my healthy & loving & happy children & 4 being well endowed

I'm thankful for Heather

I'm thankful the itching has stopped

I'm thankful for...my mom's facebook status ~ (& Heather)

-3 turkeys -good company -free drinks -for the Giants winning today (hopefully) -3 turkeys -Yankees winning -that & I am done with this

I am thankful for...Good food ~ & Heather

God's Blessing

Spending time with family

I'm thankful for family

Good health & family

I'm thankful for the gatherings we do each Thanksgiving. And wine

I am thankful for my family and friends

Having the day off!

My best friend Mikey & beautiful daughter

Thankful for life

Last, but certainly not least:I am thankful for my dad's seductive ways, for if he was not such a *imp,
I probably wouldn't be here with all you beautiful people today!