Day 66: Establish Family Traditions

Scripture to Memorize:
Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."
Proverbs 31:28-29
Passage to Read:
When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when you children ask you, "What does this ceremony mean to you?" then tell them, "It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians."
Exodus 12:25-27
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for bringing me into the fullness of the promised land of life. Holy Spirit help me to life in the fullness so that my daughter will continue in her faith and teach her children to do the same. Grant me wisdom so that I may answer any questions they may have. I thank you, Lord Jesus for offering yourself as the sacrifical lamb for our passover. I thank you for the traditions that you gave us both in communion and the call to pick up our cross and follow after you. Help me to establish meanful traditions for my family, traditions that draw us closer to you and to one another. Amen.
Personal:
In today's lesson Donna urges us to make some family traditions. She calls them "we always". She states that children need these traditions at a very early age. They needs the predictablity in an unpredictable world. She shared some of the family traditions her mother brought to her childhood and some that she has established for her children. Some of the things she suggests is if you cook to have special foods for various holidays. She also suggests decorating for holidays. Make a holiday bin and the day after a holiday purchase as many decorations as possible and store them in your holiday bin. She says that since she can't cook she relies on decorations; holiday plates, napkins, cups, table decorations, etc. She also shared that she had a heart shaped cake pan that gets used every Valentine's Day, or making a Fourth of July American flag cake.
She advises that we "bring some predictability into your life with 'we always'. You'll be amazed at the joy and peace it brings". When my daughter was small I did focus on establishing family traditions. Now however, I do not spend as much time on holidays as I used too. I do have certain holidays that I still maintain certain traditions for such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, New Year's Day. I don't really do the decorations any more but I do still keep the food traditions.
Affirmations: My child and grandchildren arise and call me blessed.
Practical:
Instructions from Donna:
"Make a list of your existing 'we always' traditions. Use your calendar and your children to jog your memory. Start with what you are already doing and think about how you can strengthen it. Also look at all the holidays--even the obscure ones--and invent creative ways to make them fun and memorable. Keep your eyes open for post-holiday sales. In your notebook in the Household section create a page entitled Family Traditions. Jot down what you are already doing along with idease for what you plan to do in the future. Before each holiday, be sure to review your list so you always do your 'we always' activities."