From The Editor

Traditions

Family traditions are important! We just held our third family reunion in the past six years. Before that, we were all busy, scattered, and seldom communicated with each other. My mother changed all that with her family news letter. She provided a glue that brought the family together after all these years. It was her efforts and inspiration, enthusiasm, and dedication that led to establishing the Reid family reunions.

One thing that came out of it is the record keeping. Each news letter brought us a little closer to our Scotch heritage. Each news letter provided history, background, stories, a belonging. This year I attended the Southern Lock Norman Games at Lake Norman, North Carolina.

There I was able to research our clans and discovered not only the Reid side, but the Douglas Clan, my father's clan. That was so exciting. Scotch on both sides! I brought this information to the reunion and shared it with everyone there. I now have started record keeping and researching the Scotch side of my family, a legacy I want to hand down to my children.

Another tradition in our family is The Table Cloth. Every time we gather, in large groups or small, Mom brings out The Table Cloth. We sign it, autograph it, draw our hand outline on it, write a witty saying or a smart remark, or list what we had to eat, or what we did, (complete with dates, names, times, etc). At each occasion, we all sit around after eating and read the last entries, relive the past memories, laugh, cry, joke, and share in the bond that this table cloth represents. Then,

we hand the table cloth over to Mom to embroider.

At the last reunion, Mom handed it over to my aunt Donna, who will now be the keeper of The Table Cloth. She will over-see the signings and do the embroidery, and see that it gets to the next reunion. This is a tradition worth trying, whether just for special occasions, Sunday dinners, Birthdays, holidays, or whenever good friends and family gather, you might want to start this tradition in your own family. Or..... just start your own. It is never too late and is a legacy you can hand down for generations.

So, whether it is stamp collecting, learning about the culture of your heritage, trying international foods once each month, volunteer work, placing flowers on family graves on memorial day, a family reunion, a family news letter, a planned family evening each week, or that special camping trip each year, traditions help bond families, and create lasting memories long after we are gone.

Create a family tradition today! Sunny