Everywhere I turn now it seems that I am inundated with images of fall, even here in 88 degree Florida. Pumpkins for sale, ornate goards, a little briskness in the morning air, and an occasional tree-of-color, if I am really looking. I have lived down here for about 20 years or so, and still find myself surprised at how much I miss my roots in NC about this time of year.

My parent’s property. Joshua’s magnolia tree is planted in the front yard.  Wild white cats live under the barn.

The little cabin in the back has an incredible history of the farm-worker family that used to live there. This is Bear and his little cousin, Yaya.

We had several reasons this summer that we were not able to travel as much – work being the main one, and just as we started planning a trip, we found ourselves in the heat of football season. I think this is the longing timespan we have ever had for returning to our “raisin”. We are anxious to get up there and see the wildflowers in the median along I-77 through SC, visit the cousins, play in the endless leaves of PoppaBob’s property, get out and walk in the cool weather, eat some home cooking and pumpkin pie from both of our moms, and feel the comforts of home. Something about NC just slows down the pace. Most obviously because we are vacationing, but coming back to the place we both grew up, that familiarity, also helps to slow us down and savor the moments.

Tradition is good. It is security and comfort and something that I think is important to impart on my kids. When we were young and wild and totally ADD, I do not think I appreciated tradition at all. We tried so hard to be unconventional. But after 20 years of marriage, throw in a tragedy or two, top it off with the stresses of life, and churn vigorously, I have learned to wholly appreciate the blessings of the moment and the security and comfort of tradition. We can spend so much of our time running for the big things, that we miss out on the true significance of all the little moments right there in front of us, slowly passing us by.

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is uncertain. But today is a gift, and that is why they call it the present”.

So while we are living our daily life, here in Florida, I am focusing on establishing more tradition in our home. Little thing we can do, routinely, each season, and our boys will learn to count on. They may seem insignificant now, but will be locked in our minds forever. 

Some day we will have our own traditions and the boys will be returning with their kids, maybe to Florida. But in the meantime, NC is family, tradition, and childhood memories, and we are looking forward to returning soon.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 at 4:47 pm and is filed under Marriage, boys, friendship, parenting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.