Traditions

Maybe it's the fact that my girl is away this week doing a mission project. Or maybe it's knowing that she'll soon be an eighth grader. Perhaps I'm just nostalgic. Or the book I just finished about Southern family traditions has made me emotional.

Whatever the case, the fact remains that I've been doing a lot of thinking about tradition lately. Specifically where my girl is concerned. 

I once heard it said that we only have 18 years to turn children into adults we're not afraid to unleash on the world. And maybe I'm the only one who found that quite overwhelming. Or maybe not. Either way, it was sort of a watershed moment.

During the mundane tasks of each day, it's so easy (for me anyway) to become entrenched in monotony, negativity and a list of tasks that absolutely must be accomplished. Yes, there are many moments when I wonder why it appears I am the absolute worst parent in the world (according to someone with whom I live :-). But there are other moments where I see glimpses - through the teenager facade - of my amazing, kindhearted girl who has a heart for people that is bigger than Texas.

Moments when she doesn't seem to have much to say to me fade from my memory when she spends 45 minutes talking non-stop about any and everything going on in her 7th grade circle at the moment. Or when we visit our favorite pizza joint and she agrees to take a pic with the Herbie car. The same way she did when she was a little girl.

And when she insists I take the same pic before leaving said pizza restaurant, I thank my lucky stars and oblige. Those are the moments - and traditions - that keep this mama moving forward in even the most difficult days. Or weeks. And sometimes even months.

And we all need those moments, right?