Reminiscing About Family Traditions

Write about a few of your favorite family traditions.

Every time I hear those words—family tradition—I can’t help but think about the Hank Williams, Jr. song, Family Traditions.

Terri and I were talking about our family traditions recently. We’ve actually started some new ones, in lieu of old ones that are increasingly faded memories long since passed.

I’m envious of those folks who’ve experienced family traditions year in and year out. It’s foreign territory for me, personally. Over the course of time, life somehow got in the way and upended what most people would call traditions.

Every football season, for decades now, a group of my friends and I pick the outcome of the NFL games. The idea is to pick the winner, but it’s all in good fun. There’s ample ribbing and an overdose of banter (and over a 1000 emails this season). We have a historian (or two) and a Commissioner that keep the train on track and record the victories and defeats.

For our part, in this new era since her sister passed and went to be with the Lord, Terri and I started having Sunday morning breakfast with her folks who conveniently live next door to us. The ladies (Terri and her Mom, Joyce) do most of the cooking while her Dad (Gary) and I drink most of the freshly brewed coffee.

We are in the midst of establishing some new traditions in our family. As I’ve mentioned before in previous posts, death changes everything. What was, isn’t anymore.

Family Traditions

by Hiriam Hank Williams, Jr.

Country music singers
Have always been a real close family
But lately some of my kinfolks
Have disowned a few others and me
I guess it’s because
I kinda changed my direction
Lord, I guess I went and broke their family tradition

They get on me and want to know
Hank, why do you drink?
Hank, why do you roll smoke?
Why must you live out the songs that you wrote?
Over and over
Everybody makes my prediction
So if I get stoned, I’m just carrying on
An old family tradition

I am very proud
Of my daddy’s name
Although his kind of music
And mine ain’t exactly the same
Stop and think it over
Put yourself in my position
If I get stoned and sing all night long
It’s a family tradition

So don’t ask me
Hank, why do you drink?
Hank, why do you roll smoke?
Why must you live out the songs that you wrote?
If I’m down in a honky-tonk
And some ole slick’s trying to give me friction
I’ll say leave me alone
I’m singing all night long
It’s a family tradition

Lordy, I have loved some ladies
And I have loved Jim Beam
And they both tried to kill me in 1973
When that doctor asked me
“Son, how did you get in this condition?”
I said, “Hey, Sawbones
I’m just carrying on an ole family tradition”

So don’t ask me
Hank, why do you drink?
Hank, why do roll smoke?
Why must you live out the songs that you wrote?
Stop and think it over
Try to put yourself in my unique position
If I get stoned and sing all night long
It’s a family tradition…

Speaking of traditions, Mom and I were driving back from her favorite Chinese place (a new tradition) and I hit play on Spotify and in no time flat we were listening to Cody Jinks’ rendition of Lefty Frizell classics. As we drove down the highway, Mom, not knowing who was singing, sang along with every song. She knew every word.

Growing up, country music was a tradition at our house. Dad played it all the time. The music streaming on my truck radio led to recalling memories of fun times her (Mama) and Dad (Vati) used to have back when they were young. This brought me comfort and gave me joy as I recalled my Dad’s love for music. It was a good thing we shared between us, even though music was something that eventually ripped us apart. Anyways, I digress…

Grief is weird.

Scripture teaches us that our family traditions should nurture and reinforce the values and teachings of the Bible, echoing God’s love and wisdom in daily life.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 Free Bible (FBV)

The commands I'm giving you today must stay in your minds.You are to explain them carefully to your children and talk about them when you're at home and when you're traveling, when you lie down and when you get up.

God is concerned that we teach our children—our physical and spiritual descendants—His ways. That’s something He wants us to make a tradition.

Magic China, like most Chinese restaurants hands out fortune cookies at the end of the meal. Mine said: