Rituals

At this time of year we think so often of traditions, these things that we do to keep our families close and our happy memories strong. Tonight I have been thinking about something just as important to me......daily rituals. These are the things we do each day that solidify our connections to each other. The kiss each day as the girls head out the door. The sweet visits as I pick them up from school....."give me the scoop, how did your day go?". The back scratches when sitting on the couch together. The way we play with each others hair if we are within touching distance and most important, the way we sing at the top of our lungs in the car when driving together and everyone chooses a harmony or part and we make it our own. The other day I was picking Chloe up and she looked mortified as I drove up. When she got in the car she huffed...."Mom, turn down the music, it is so loud I could hear it from the door of my school. How creepy that all my friends think my mom is rocking out". Ha ha!

The way that Ava is always announcing to me that Dad kissed her today and she thinks that she is going to marry him so we go back and forth arguing about who Daddy loves the best....I always win of course but whenever he kisses her she always glances sideways to make sure I am watching and gives me a smug look as she walks away. These are just simple things we repetitively do everyday without much thought but are so vital to our well being. Even the frustrations and annoyances and the way we deal with each other.......eyes rolling.."Oh MOM!!" These are even tender to me because they are part of our growth and learning.

Night time rituals are especially tender. Ava and Elle are so funny the way they love to pray with us each night. They always choose what way they will pray, there is the hugging prayer (they face me and we hug as they pray), the kneeling prayer(this is the standard) and the on the back prayer(this is where I kneel and they climb on my back and hug me around the neck. I don't know how this got started but I love it each night. Then stories and kisses.

I love the rituals that Chris and I have, those tender things we do over and over that are often simple and repetitive but deeply vital to our well being and connectedness.

Chris: "I love you"

Gale: "I love you more"

Chris: "NO, I love you way more"

Gale: "No I am sure that I love you more than that"

Why do we keep repeating these silly actions and conversations? Isn't it already solidified in our minds what is going to happen and what we feel. Yes, but we go through our ritual again and again and again. I LOVE it because it reminds me that some things are absolute and will always be there for me.

Traditions are absolutely wonderful but rituals to me are everything.