Making a Case for Tradition - Meb

           I am anticipating my youngest child boomeranging back to live with me in what used to be called my "empty nest." I spent the better part of three weekends organizing my garage so there will be enough storage space for his stuff. This was the motivator I needed to finally get rid of boxes and boxes of two houses worth of things I once absolutely could not part with. I have edited, given away, tossed, cried over, laughed about, let go of, and kept.

           Now that I have an organized garage, (at least until #3 moves back in), I can finally find and label my holiday boxes, which should allow me to decorate my house for every season once again.
When I was a mom with young kids, decorating for holidays was a source of joy and an outlet for my creativity. In fact, Joan and I bonded over making Halloween ghosts for her house from ones we saw in a Martha Stewart article. (She still has-and uses-them.) After the kids moved out and I moved into my  own place, decorating for holidays wasn't as much fun. I didn't have a place for all my special things and many of the items were laden with memories of raising children and a married life that didn't exist anymore. What I've now kept fits my new space - both the physical house I live in and the space inside my heart. I've let go of most of what I don't need or what doesn't make me happy, keeping only the very best.

          Celebrations like the 4th of July can ground us in history and remind us of what stays solid while the sands of change shift around us. This month, I took my 4th of July plastic container down, put out my flag and arranged my Red, White and Blue items around the house for a few days. But traditions can also carry us forward into the future. For example, I recently hosted a Mermaid Party, inviting new and old friends to come and play for an evening. I decorated with shells and coral, aqua and blue. We munched on Seasar salad and Sandwiches, fresh shrimp and amazing ahi poke burritos wrapped in Seaweed. We drank foamy drinks that were sweet and refreshing while ocean sounds played through Pandora. Some of us told tales of times when we opened up to "sing" and others shared deep feelings that surfaced in this mermaid-safe place with listening friends. It was such a special time that I've put together another plastic container called Mermaids, because I'm making my Mermaid Party a Meb Summer Tradition.

          Life is uncertain and these times seem particularly so. Traditions, especially seasonal ones, remind us of what went before, but will soon come again. In her book The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin writes that traditions, "Mark the passage of time in a happy way.  They provide a sense of anticipation, security, and continuity...They provide connection and predictability, which people - especially children - crave." I crave celebrations because I need times of pause and shared moments with friends and family that act like a parenthesis of safety and love in my busy life. When my world feels shaky, I can take these moments out when I need them, knowing I will have special moments like them again.

          When we celebrate our traditions, we make space for special moments. One thing I've learned by chasing miracles is that sometimes you have to make space in life for miracles to happen. We know that only Change is predictable, only Change is certain. Traditions help us move through the changes we must inevitably face by grounding us, helping us to move forward in every moment with a more graceful and grateful heart.

          Old traditions are so important in life, but there is also room to make up new ones. So in honor of Tradition Day, I am here to wish you all a very Happy Miracle Chase Day! Now go out and make it special and let us know what you did to celebrate! (Meb)