Traditions

I like traditions. I'm very sentimental and I love having "your thing". When we don't get pajamas at Christmas I'm a little heartbroken even though I really don't need any more pajamas. I like things to stay the same. That is of course, impossible.

My family has had family pictures taken every year since pretty much forever. Definitely since 1988. That's a long time. We used to always get them taken by the same company, but the high school doesn't do that fundraiser any more so we have had to turn to other avenues. This makes it more difficult to be consistent. Two years ago (2013) we took them in November at Thanksgiving and mom didn't even put them on the wall until October. Last year (2014) we took them in December. And this year (2015) we didn't take them. We were all together in November, but it didn't happen. Then we weren't all home for Christmas so it didn't happen then either. We figured maybe we could take them in January and pretend they were from 2015, but then that didn't look like it would happen then either.

I went home this last weekend and schedules just weren't allowing for it to happen. Sunday came and we hadn't taken them and mom and dad had church at 11, Kevin had church at 1, and the rest had church at 1:50 and I was planning on leaving at 3 so I didn't have to drive too much in the dark. I accepted that that is how life goes. Sometimes things just don't work out how you would have hoped. Things change. I said to Julie "it had to happen sometime". Then a small miracle and tender mercy to me happened. There were too many people in the library at church so mom could leave and dad got someone else to conduct the high priests. One problem, Kevin just left for church. So I text him and asked him if he would come home for just a minute. He did. He's the best. The shirts we got were a little big, but everyone put them on and we went outside to take our family picture. With a selfie stick. That is what we have been reduced to. And you know what? I don't even care. I was just so happy that we got the pictures taken. Kevin was late for church and we are squinting in all the pictures, but they got taken. Things may not always stay the same or change to how you want them, but you have to enjoy what you do have and make the best of every moment.