Traditions

On March 10, 2006 I was reading the Ensign and I came across a talk given by by Elder M. Russell Ballard. His talk impressed me, and I have been thinking about it ever since. He gave three points to protect, perserve, and strengthen the families. The are;

• Be consistent in holding daily family prayer, and weekly Family Home Evening.
• Teach gospel and basic values in the home. Establish a love for reading the scriptures together.
• Create meaningful bonds that give your children an identity stronger than what they can find with their peer group or at school or anywhere else. Family traditions such as birthdays, holidays, dinnertime, and Sundays

I have especailly been thinking about what traditions I can do with my family. I love traditions, and any chance to celebrate I seize upon.

While thinking about it today, I decided that it would be a good idea to research some of my husband's ancestery and to adopt some of their traditions. Our heritage is something so special and important. I decided to focus on his, because not much is known about his predecessors or heritage. They are Norwegian, and his grandfather is a first generation Mormon. Since no one speaks Norwegian, none of their family history has been done either. I figure a good first step will be to adopt some of their traditions and I am so excited!

I found their Independence Day is May 17th, so I am not sure what we are going to do to celebrate that, but they have a Midsummer Festival on June 23 to celebrate the longest day of the year and celebrate Summer in general. They have a party that goes deep into the night, and have lots of flowers and lights to decorate it, along with lots of good food. I am so excited to host this party!

They also celebrate a day in December called St. Lucia's Day. On that day people are prohibited to work. If they work they will be cursed for the whole of the coming year. What fun this will be.

I just need to learn about some of my roots traditions. I am almost completely English, but I do have a bit of Scandinavian blood in me. I just need to find out exactly which countries, and then learn their traditions. What fun this will be. I have more days to celebrate, and I will be teaching my son about the importance of family, and his ancestry! I can kill two birds with one stone!

What are some of your traditions and celebrations that you have with your families? What are some things you would like to start?

To Read Elder Ballard's talk, click here.