Monday, October 28, 2013

Traditions, Traditionally Speaking, The Mettle of which We Are Made...

I watch very little television, but yesterday, I saw a rebroadcast of a "documentary" about what makes the South different/special. I had seen the program a few years ago and found it entertaining so I decided I'd watch it again.  One of the first things up for debate, and this program, entitled: "You don't know Dixie," discussed it, is whether or not Texas is part of "the South." Being a proud, native Texan, I can tell you that in my humble opinion, Texas is not a part of any region, rather, Texas is it's own region. That said, there are some common "Texas Traditions" shared by those in other parts of the South. For example, we learn from the cradle to respect our elders, we have manners, we like to laugh (even at ourselves). We go to church on Sunday and during the fall, we attended services in college football stadiums on Saturdays, (personally, I attend Saturday services at Kyle Field Cathedral). 

Kyle Field Cathedral
Speaking of Kyle Field Cathedral, my personal connection to strong traditions is further reinforced by my maroon-blooded connection to Texas A&M. Being an Aggie means that you have a deep and profound connection with something greater than yourself. This quote sums it up: "From the outside, you can't understand it and from the inside, you can't explain it." Our school song, The Spirit of Aggieland, identifies it by: "There is a Spirit, can ne'er be told..." For me, a third generation Aggie, the Aggie traditions were an integral part of my upbringing. The traits of honor, loyalty, honesty, charity and generosity with which my parents raised us, are part of what it means to be an Aggie. For most of my life, our football team didn't give us the opportunities to brag about success so we also learned good sportsmanship. Another tradition, tied to football, (and other competitive areas) is the idea that "we may not win every game, but we never give up." In fact, perhaps being the punchline of so many jokes has helped to forge Aggies, worldwide to build the amazing network of brothers and sisters that we are today. 

Speaking of Traditions, it would be a huge oversight for me to neglect some of our other family traditions, especially in light of the coming holiday season. Halloween is coming up and Haime and I have a great tradition. We host several neighbors, (most of us have no more children at home) to a "trick or treat on the driveway." We enjoy wine and beer and snacks while we wait for the children/ghouls and goblins to come asking for treats. It's a lot of fun and a great way to catch up with what's happening in the neighborhood.

Thanksgiving is perhaps my favorite holiday. (I am honestly overwhelmed, at times by the enormity of the blessings that God has brought to me and I love the shared "Day to give thanks"). Our traditions have changed over the years. When I was a child, my family would celebrate our Thanksgiving dinner in either College Station or in Austin. You see, I had an uncle who lived in College Station, and an aunt in Austin and Texas A&M would play tu every year on Thanksgiving. We'd gather the family in which ever town the game was to be played so those interested in attending the game could join us for lunch prior to kick-off, (I told you that my blood is maroon ). Now, we typically gather at my mom's house for lunch. Most of my sisters and their family's attend but with such a large family, there are usually some that can't make it and they are truly missed.

So, in thinking about "Traditions" as they apply to us as a family or a country, I believe it is our "Traditions" that make us who we are. It is those shared customs, beliefs, codes of conduct, or family traditions that bind us together as a people. OK, so much for my "philosophical" postings, I promise, the next one will be more amusing...

ttfn, 

    Lois

Monday, October 21, 2013

"The Ending of an Era, the Turning of a Page..."

My aunt Alice died last week. Actually, she is my great-aunt, the widow of my grandfather's brother, Joe. Unfortunately, Aunt Alice has been in declining health for a while and was unable to attend our family reunion a couple of weeks ago. Aunt Alice was one of the most patient, soft-spoken and genuinely nice ladies I have known. She was a devoted wife and mother, talented seamstress, quilter and baker. Mostly, though, she had a way of quietly making you feel that she was very happy to see you, even as a child, I remember thinking Aunt Alice was one of the great adults. She had three daughters and they each seem to have inherited some of Aunt Alice's best traits.

With her passing, my grandfather's generation has come to an end. That makes my mother's generation the "elders" in our family. WOW!

As the family has gotten back together for the rosary and the funeral, conversations have naturally come around to the fact that so much of our family's history is gone. There are too few recorded stories of what life was like for my grandfather's siblings and their parents and their aunts and uncles as they grew up and lived their lives. My great-grandparents actually immigrated to Texas but there are no recorded thoughts or experiences that they shared with their respective families as they crossed the Atlantic. We all agreed, of course, that it is important that we take action to preserve what little we do know, I hope it happens. I think its important for us to have knowledge about where we come from, to help us understand what has gone into making us the people we are today.

I read something the other day that someone had written about Texans and what makes Texans the special people that we are. The author attributed it to being "forged in a hotter fire." Well, having spent most of my 50+ summers in South Central Texas, I can tell you that it certainly feels like we spend time in hot fires, but I can proudly tell you that my family of (fairly recent) immigrants to this great state, represent some of the finest people I have ever met. I love each of them and am blessed to be a member of this (crazy) group. 

To the grandparents (including all of the "great-grands), parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters who have gone home, we are certain the welcome you gave Aunt Alice when she crossed through the Gates was filled with love and laughter. We miss you all and love you still.

TTFN

Lois

Sunday, October 6, 2013

"We are Family..."

Yesterday, I celebrated another anniversary of the day I was born. I have always enjoyed my birthday. Starting with my parents, my celebrations have always been about having fun and enjoying my day with the people I love, doing things I love. This year was another such celebration.

My mother's father with his siblings and his parents.
My grandparents on their wedding day.
My mother's paternal family gets together every two years for a reunion. This year, it fell on my birthday...woohoo! The reunion hosts change every year, following a specific pattern. That is, it follows succeeding birth order of my Grandpa's siblings. This year, it fell to my mom's siblings. My mother, (and Haime and I and one of my sisters and her husband), are still members of the same parish that my grandparents were members of (and actually where they were married). So, like good German-Catholics, (no not all Germans are Lutheran, LOL!) we rented the parish hall for the reunion. (Hmmmm...just a thought here, for those of you who, like me were raised on a healthy dose of "Catholic-guilt," do you think it stems from being of German descent and not following Martin Luther? just a thought...) ANYWAY...as with all of our parties, we had tons of food and as each family arrived, the food table only became more and more laden...(at one point, I thought I heard creaking...). 

My grandfather had 11 siblings. The eldest, Anna died in infancy. As we began to talk about each of the other siblings (our grandparents, aunts and uncles), it was interesting to me that Anna died more than a century before some of her brothers and sisters. (Yes, I know she died as an infant but imagine what happened during that span of years for her remaining sibs...Anna died in the 1890s and the last of her sibs died in 2001!) As I look through some of the old family photos, I just can't help but be amazed in the changes that took place during the life-span of these wonderful people. They saw incredible advances in technology and in industry, they saw war, famine, drought, peace, celebrations of life, and prosperity. They were raised as farmers who learned the value of hard work and of caring for the land; and they became caring, thoughtful, loving adults who never lost their values of God, family, and hard work. AND, they passed these traits on to succeeding generations...

We opened the reunion with a candle lighting ceremony to honor those who have gone to our Father's home. Here is Kathy who is lighting a candle to represent her dad...the youngest of the siblings.

Mary Louise, Joan and Mary Ann
Cole, Debbie, Dana and Eric
  Frank, Leonard, Joe and David

The "first cousins" that made the reunion this year.


Frank, Lance and Denise

Our youngest attendee
Cole, Gene, Annette, Joan
Frank and Leonard
            
Joan, Annette, Fr. Dennis and Ruth                                              Joan, Sarah and Kathy

Tom (walking in the background) Mike, Eric and Ruth
Unfortunately, most of us were too busy "gabbing" and catching up to remember to take pictures so I'm not able to share pics of all the attendees. I promise to do better at the next reunion, I can only confess that I was having a wonderful time exchanging stories, (one of my favorite things to do), and visiting with some of the most interesting people on the planet. Thanks everyone who attended and we missed those of you who were not able to attend, we hope to see you in 2015.

TTFN
Lois