Fall Blessings

Is it possible to slow down time? I was just sitting here thinking that this is my absolutely favorite time of year. This time when the leaves start to change and the weather turns cooler. The time when people enjoy a good get together to celebrate what they are thankful for or to enjoy precious moments with loved ones. This time which is all things from pumpkins, leaves, and apples, to turkeys, pies and, in my family, the family tradition of Rice Salad. (More on that closer to Thanksgiving.) And finally, my favorite holiday, Christmas. I love it all; the lights, the trees, the music, the biting cold snow. But most of all, I enjoy watching my children enjoy this time of year.

Again, I ask. Can't I just slow down time a little? In spite of this being a fantastic time of year, a time that I long to savor, it just goes by so darn fast! Remember when we were kids and time seemed to just drag on? I remember a 9-week marking period in school feeling like an eternity. Now I find myself thinking, "Oh no! There's only 9 weeks till Christmas! It's going to fly by and then we will have to suffer through the dreariness of January and February." (I think January and February have a few extra days snuck into them somehow!)

I was talking with my sister in law yesterday about the importance of beginning family traditions. We reminisced about our own families traditions at Christmas time. In my family, we always received a new pair of pj's on Christmas Eve. It's a tradition that Todd and I have carried on in our family, and it's my way of being guaranteed cute Christmas photos the next morning! In my SIL's family, they always made a paper chain to decorate the house at Christmas time. We laughed as we realized that we both thought that our own family traditions were the norm in households across the United States, all the while feeling just a little sorry for those who didn't get new pj's or make paper chains as children.

So all of this brings me to this. I have a desire to create traditions for my children too. Traditions on which they will one day look back with fond memories. Traditions that they may choose to carry on in their own families. Will my girls give their kids new pj's on Christmas Eve? How old will they be before they are asking me to show them how to make Grandma's Rice Salad? Will they choose to observe Advent, a tradition that I'm hoping to begin this year in our family? I guess most of all, I desire for them to cherish these times in their lives. You only get one childhood, and I want my kids to have a great one. I want them to learn the importance of family and heritage, both in an earthly sense, and in a spiritual sense. I want them to love this time of year too, and to find as many ways as they can to find joy in all that God has blessed us with.

There are a lot of reasons I've been thinking about this kind of stuff, but there is one resource in particular that I've recently found that is quite interesting. Seasons at Home is a brand new magazine that celebrates women being at home for a season. It has articles on hospitality, hand-crafts, homeschooling, and of course, lots of great recipes! It's very traditional, but I lately I find myself rebelling against all things feminist, and craving the traditional role of being a wife and mother. If a little bit of the old-fashioned life is calling your name, you'd love this magazine!