My barn ritual.

“Rituals are a central part of life whether it be in  how meals are shared together, or how major events are marked…Rituals give us places to be playful, to explore the meaning of our lives, and to rework and rebuild family relationships. They connect us with our past, define our present life, and show us  a path to our future as we pass on ceremonies, traditions, objects, symbols, and ways of being with each other, handed down from previous generations.”

Evan Imber-Black & Janine Roberts in Ritulas for Our Times

I read this today as a part of my morning reading ritual along with Psalm 46. Many of you know about some of my rituals, like running in the early morning hours each day. Today, I didn’t. Run. Now, as I am writing this, I’m thinking about how much I missed my run and how it really affects my day. Oh, I had good reason, but I still missed it. 

There are rituals or traditions that I count on: a live Christmas tree, lights on the house, family gatherings, snowball cookies, birthday cakes, movie marathons, morning coffee, the shop elevator, pop tarts from Uncle Bob, plow day, fall tractor drive, deer season, Easter dinner with Carolyn and Harvey, dessert with coffee, cotton candy at either a baseball game or a rodeo, Wranglers-Night-Out, eggs & toast & bacon on Sunday morning, fixing fence in spring, feeding bulls in winter, checking stock tanks in summer, rattlesnakes, hooking up the mower tractor, and late birthday cards.

There are so many new traditions I haven’t thought of and so many I’ve left off this list. They are just those little things in life that mean so much and honor the passing of time and those we’ve loved and lost. What are some of your favorite traditions and rituals?