My Awareness of Audience and Voice

I believe that traditions are absolutely a guiding influence. I also absolutely believe that they are limiting. I think about some of the family traditions when I was a young child (about 100 years ago) most of them based on the family religion - Catholicism. I didn't mind the formality of the Catholic Church. For me, it truly becomes a spiritual matter. I think that the tradition of Catholicism was a guiding influence to my spirituality although it was extremely limiting. Becoming a Christian was my own little rebellion, the interesting part was, that my dad responded well and didn't take it as a personal rejection of his faith. I absolutely laughed out loud as I read Garrison Keillor's, A Wobegon Holiday Dinner. The way that the writer made light of his family's faith, The Sanctified Brethren, and his Uncle Carl praying at the dinner table. I hope that we all can enjoy the faith of our families as he did. In reading, “Scripture said, "Pray without ceasing," and he almost succeeded." (116), I found myself thinking of the family member that would be voted "least likely to asked to pray over a Thanksgiving meal" and it made me laugh even harder. I have found that although I didn't "embrace" Catholicism, I do respect it and in my father's mind, rebelled against it.

I think that we should question everything, as not to be like sheep, led to the slaughter. As an adult, including as a student at Everett Community College, I find myself saying, "I'm not a sheep, I'm not a sheep!" I want to know why, I need to understand. For me things need to be logical. I think that we get caught up in doing things the same old way because it is just easier and we hate change. There are easier and better ways to do things these days, but it absolutely takes away from the beauty, pomp and circumstance that traditions provide.

I don't think that I can answer what should take precedence. I know that our identity is vital to a clear sense of who we are and what we want to be. I also believe that our culture and traditions shouldn't be lost to the value of identity. I am drawn to Sarita James' essay, Let Me Find My Own Husband, "I couldn't let my parents arrange my Indian marriage from Indiana. I would have to find my own suitable boy. Or perhaps even an unsuitable boy." I wouldn't want to go so far as to arrange my children's marriages, but I sure would like some input.

"Shun" is a very strong word, like rebellion. I am far less concerned about the shunning of traditions that I am the thought of shunning each other as people. We need to love on each other at all cost. We don't even have to like the rebellion, but we have got to love each other. We are all we have.

Our society is definitely becoming more accepting of transgressions and non- conforming behavior; much to societies detriment. We see how we were being conditioned to be desensitized to the sex, language and violence that we never expected to see on television.

Writer's Choice Introduction

For my “Writer’s Choice” selection, I have chosen my Tradition Blog entry. This piece represents my strongest entry on my blog to date. I believe that it is well thought out and my deepest emotionally produced entry. I pulled from my childhood experiences as inserted here, “we had very few traditions especially around food. Being in a military family, we did not ever celebrate holidays with extended family,” I then included experiences from my home as a parent, “children, who have since grown up in a military environment, will remember not just the Japanese additions to the Thanksgiving table, but the single Airmen that we would have into our homes during the holidays so that they wouldn't be alone.” I have also given voice to the traditions of the future, “my youngest son, 16, has started a new tradition this year, he made cheesecakes instead of pies…. This was also the first year that my daughter and her family hosted Thanksgiving dinner.”

Writer's Choice Selection - Family Traditions

Friday, February 18, 2011

Food Family Traditions

Well this is much harder than I thought that it would be. As far as the conventional sense of tradition; my family, meaning my parents and my childhood, we had very few traditions especially around food. Being in a military family, we did not ever celebrate holidays with extended family. I'm sure that we had full meals, but I don't remember much about big turkeys and a table full of food. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

           I do remember my mom talking about eating something special for New Years Day, but she didn't cook it often and now I've been out of the family home for over 30 years and Mom's been gone for 12 years, I'm guessing that it was ham hock and black-eyed peas. It was definitely something terribly Southern and cheap. My mom used to say that it eating it would bring prosperity for the New Year.

           I will say that for my children, who have since grown up in a military environment, will remember not just the Japanese additions to the Thanksgiving table, but the single Airmen that we would have into our homes during the holidays so that they wouldn't be alone. Sharing the dinner table was our tradition.

           Now that we have settled here in Washington, a far cry from our Tampa, Florida roots, we do celebrate our holidays as a small family (we just didn't have that many single people around away from their families) we have tried on some new traditions. Before our older children married we tried a pajama Thanksgiving dinner. It was funny and I have pictures. (I wish I could figure out how to upload them. This would be the perfect post to add pictures!)

           Now that the children are older, my youngest son, 16, has started a new tradition this year, he made cheesecakes instead of pies a tradition that we borrowed from a family that we have shared several Thanksgivings with here in Washington. This was also the first year that my daughter and her family hosted Thanksgiving dinner.

           One thing that I have that my childhood family never had, is the formal table settings. I have nice china for Thanksgiving and a different pattern for Christmas. We have crystal glasses and very nice flatware all that is hand washed and put nicely away in their respective containers. So when we do sit down for family dinners around holidays, we lay out the nice tablecloth, get out he "good" dishes, eat a wonderful meal and then complain about who has to wash and who has to dry!

           I hope that I have offered something for my children to build their traditions on.

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