"Tradition, tradition! Tradition!"
Sing it with me! Wait - what? No? (No Fiddler on the Roof fans here? Moving on...)
Well - we have an Only Girlie and she is a huge - no, I don't think you understand... HUGE - fan of Tradition! She likes things to go the way they have always gone and she is only now beginning to see Change as anything less than the enemy.
We have lived through a few rough seasons... gone through some things that tested and tried Traditions and we chose to lean in and cuddle up... to hold each other through it. In the getting through it parts, some Traditions felt numb... others needed to stay up until April... or June... whatever. I wrote about how our See-Through Christmas Tree stayed up during a time when we found ourselves clinging to comfort and needing stability and twinkling lights, and while we are stronger closer because of that time - we are happy to be on the other side of it!
This year some traditions haven't happened yet. (The driving around to see the Lights!) Some traditions were skipped all together! (The Tree Lighting downtown, the luminary walk at the Arboretum, the Journey through Bethlehem... all skipped due to weather and freezing and us not being fans of being cold.) However, on Sunday it was a balmy 32 degrees and so we called some friends, bundled up, and braved the cold to see the Lighted Christmas Parade!
It's really only partly tradition! In that, we mean to do it every year - but - again... the cold!
Whenever we go to a parade - more often than not - we go with these friends... Normally it is a parade in July or September but still, I can't really remember a parade without them and so it was perfect that not only were they able to make it... another friend was in town as well so we had a little mini (freezing cold) reunion! (Imagine just a little bit of whining here.)
Plus... you know, SANTA!!!
(I think this is only the second photo my Girlie has ever had taken with Santa... the other one was taken just a couple of years ago with one of her best friends' - one of the daughters' of one of these friends of mine...)
These friends of mine...
We have been side by side for nearly 20 years now. We have raised our girlies together... through good times and hard times! We have survived leaving churches and address changes and health scares and arguments and divorce and rebellion (some 'theirs' and some our own!)... we have loved and laughed and cried and sat beside when no words would come... or when no words were needed.
Women can be mean... fickle... surface and gossipy and we are not perfect. We have failed - ourselves and each other, but our connection started when we were new: New Christians, (Relatively) New Wives, New Moms. We were learning who we were and who we wanted to be and I love that for these friends... for these sisters in Christ... I love that there is not a season of my adult life... my married-life... my learning-how-to-mother life, that they are not included!
And for them - and for my own girlie, I will brave the cold because year after year, that is what we do.
We show up.
We show up when we're needed... when we're wanted... and sometimes even when we're one but not both of those things! We show up when it's fun... (think Bunco nights, Birthdays, and Beach Weekends Away!) and when it's not fun... (I don't think you need any examples here!) We show up in the flesh, over the phone, and via text... We show up for each others' kids because for us - it really has taken a Village... and their girls are my girls, and mine is theirs.
We show up... and really? We learned that from Him! Him - who always shows up for us; Who braves the cold and the Cross, and who calls us friends of God.
We look to Him... and we follow His lead... (which, by the way, led us back to a cozy living room and a cup of coffee and a table of cards... thawing out and warming up and making new traditions all the while, as we live this life together, showing up - again and again!)
Originally posted December 17, 2013 and linked up with:
Emily over at Chatting at the Sky for #tuesdaysunwrapped
...and with Crystal Stine for #Behindthescenes
(even though I am totally cheating because I am using more than one photo!)
This is a #ThrowbackThursday reposting, in the midst of our Christmas Giveaway! Enter to win HERE... Winner announced on Saturday!
I wrote about tradition in my post too Karrilee. What a gift to have these kinds of girlfriends who know you through so many stages of life. And that light show is pretty amazing if I do say so myself.
ReplyDeleteAnd I LOVED reading about your tradition, Shelly!! The poetry of your husband taking his girl shopping every year!!! Beautiful!
DeleteShelly - I loved your post - as always! What a sweet tradition... a Daddy/Daughter shopping date for Christmas! (Oh and I kinda want to see those shoes!!!)
DeleteLove your tradition. We haven't been very good at traditions lately. Things have changed a little since oldest daughter has been married. Have a blessed week!
ReplyDeleteBarbie - Grace, my friend! I know that will be a hard season for me... when my girlie gets married and starts her own new Traditions and has a whole other family to participate with too! Praying for you... (and my future self too!) Hugs to you!
DeleteShowing up- YES! I'd not understood what a gift that was until we moved and no one 'showed up" for the stuff. God's really opened my eyes to the idea of the ministry of presence. Big deal!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you have some people in your life that show up for all the important stuff and unimportant stuff.
Lori - yes... it's sad how we truly appreciate the Showing Up part when we realize that we had it and didn't even realize it! We haven't always been great at it - but we always get back to it... it's the gift of history and investing and knowing that someone else has lived so much of my story with me! Praying you are finding people like that too!
DeleteLove this! I especially love the being present and showing up... the being a Village to raise our children... doing life together... Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYes - it's so true... it is all so important! The being present and showing up and living in Community... so glad you stopped by!
DeleteI love this! We didn't see a single parade this year, since it's an odd time for us. You may recall that my husband took a new job 6 hours away and he's gone all week but home on the weekends. Having the family temporarily fractured has limited our usual Christmas activities. I have a few friends like yours in that they show up when they are needed, whether it's in person or via phone, and they are such a blessing!
ReplyDeleteKim - I can only imagine how this job situation is making things a bit more difficult than usual! Praying for you and your family in this transition time! Praying the weekends give you lots of holiday cheer - even if it means no 'real' Christmas activities...
DeleteLiving life long term in community with friends who have gone through all of your seasons... all of you high points and low points... who remember when your Littles were little and when your walk was new... it is such a blessing indeed! Thankful that you have that too, my friend! You know if I was closer - we'd totally hang out and show up!
I have several really, really good friends and there is nothing like the sharing and caring of true, forever friendship.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Susan! Amen!
DeleteThis reminds me to thank my friend who has been showing up for me when I needed it three past couple of days. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteBarbara... I am so thankful that you have friends who know how to Show Up... and that they are there when you need them! Praying for you!
DeleteShowing up really is important. I am thankful and blessed to have friends who I can count on and who show up for me and I do my best to show up for them too. God does indeed show up for us. Sometimes that is hard to see though. I have several friends who just aren't feeling it this Advent and Christmas and are feeling overwhelmed. I'm showing up for them but wish I could show them more how God shows up.
ReplyDeleteGod shows up through you, my friend! Keep showing up... they are seeing it! (And I just remembered I have a Voxer message from you! #Squee!)
DeleteI love this. And I think it can be a liberating thought for us when it comes to the pressure of this season too. I mean what could be a better Christmas tradition than showing up for the ones you love? I think that shall be my new holiday mantra. What do we do for Advent/Christmas? We show up.
ReplyDeleteAmen. We show up! I think that should be our mantra all year long! ;) (and at Jumping Tandem, too! I'm just sayin'!)
Delete(You got some amazing photos of the parade. Wow) Sometimes tradition can be a huge comfort. At others, it can feel like an anchor around our neck. I think the important thing is to know which one is happening and to feel free to make changes when a tradition isn't helpful. I'm so glad you got to be with friends and celebrate. It really does look like you had a great time.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Susan! You are so right... sometimes, for a season - or for forever - some traditions need to go! Grace and wisdom for when and what those are! So much truth there!
DeleteWhat a blessing to have long-time friends. I have a forever friend from first grade (over 50 years) and another for 42 years. Tradition? Fiddler on the Roof? You are speaking my language, and we are all about that! I enjoyed your post.
ReplyDeleteShalom and Blessings,
GG
I love that so much, Gail! My Mom who is in her 70s still has a best friend from first grade as well... it's such a gift to know someone for most of the years of your life... so many memories and traditions and nostalgia - and grace! LOL - I'm glad you got my Fiddler on the Roof bit... Shalom and Blessings right back to you, friend!
DeleteHow blessed you are to have sweet friends that have been with you through the stages. That is one thing I see in other women that I am so jealous of. I have always had what I would call surface friends but for whatever reason (maybe my fear of being rejected) I have never really let a friendship grow deep roots to with stand the storms that come.
ReplyDeleteAmy - I am blessed... and I know how easily and quickly I can take that for granted! Thank you for the reminder, friend! Praying for some deep rooted inrl friendships for you in this New Year! xoxo
DeleteThese parade pics are awesome. Tradition is so valuable. I have had a hard time embracing it though because I have been so busy. Thanks for joining us on the Cheerleading Link up. You have a fun and light way about you in your posts. I enjoyed visiting. Looking forward to getting to know you more! Join us next week! Much love.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Kelly! Thank you for the invite to link up as well! With the holidays, my blogging schedule is - shall we say - less Bossy... but I look forward to linking up and Hashtagging it up with you in the New Year for sure!
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