On the Porch with Pat

Traditions

Yea! I'm so excited. I've been preparing all week for a Ladies' Retreat with some of my friends from church. It's a long-standing tradition, and I almost never miss it. We travel way back in the boonies to a Lake House that belongs to one of the ladies. It's right on the lake and has an awesome view. She has lots of spaces for us to sleep—about five or six bedrooms, plus three couches. Some sleep on the floor. They don't mind. It's all fun.

We carry our own supper—I usually just get something from Subway. Then we ladies bring breakfast casseroles and other items for breakfast. The lunch menu always includes Potato Soup and either chili or taco soup. Like I said, it's part of the tradition. Don't even imagine that we would leave out snacks and goodies.

But all that is icing on the cake. We always study from a carefully chosen book that's grounded in the Bible. Each of us chooses a chapter to teach. It's a warm, friendly atmostphere, very causual. We laugh, tell stories, and have a lot of fun mixed in with the lessons.  It's spriritually uplifting and revitalizes us mentally. I come away from the weekend with a fresh start on life, ready, once again, to roll with the punches.

It's a lot of work packing bed clothes and pillows as well as the normal things you would pack for an overnight stay, but it is so worth it! We carpool there, so our stuff is always scrunched in which ever van I happen to be riding in. With my eyesight, I'd never attempt to drivie those long winding roads to her lake house. I'm thankful for good friends who welcome others to ride with them. The long ride down there is half the fun. We catch up with each other and laugh a lot.

Traditions have a funny way of making our lives richer, don't you think? They don't have to be holiday traditions. You can make almost anything a tradition. Traditions stand out in our minds, and the memories last a lifetime, literally. Many childhood memories fade with time, but family traditions stay with us. The same is true with other traditions in our lives. They place value on the activity. They rank high in your memory cache. A tradition finds a snug place to live for a long, long time.

So, wish me luck that I'm taking enough covers to keep me warm. It's always especially nippy on the lake. I hope to see you Saturday, but Sunday for sure. That's my excited face!