Sunday, December 7, 2014

Small traditions

I grew up as an only child, and due to my father’s career with John Deere we moved every two to four years. Around the holiday season, I would become jealous of my friends and their large families. They always had some sort of traditions that I felt my family and I never had. My family relocated back to Iowa in 2000, and all of our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners consisted of my parents, grandma, Uncle Bob and me. They felt lacking in traditions - like we just went through the motions. 

What a difference it makes when one person is missing from that table. 

A little over a year ago, my 60-year-old Uncle Bob passed away unexpectedly. It was abundantly clear that he was missing at these meals. Nobody was fighting for olives with my dad, or threatening people with Cool Whip anymore. Until this time, I had taken our small family for granted. I look around the table now, and I see people that have realized this for some time. My Grandma is 90 years old, but still exercises for 45 minutes every morning. She spends 15 minutes on the treadmill reciting every bible verse that she knows, 15 minutes on the elliptical praying for people, and then 15 minutes on a bicycle watching the news. Did I mention that she is 90 YEARS OLD!?  I can’t help but see God at work in her.

My family may not be large, and have the traditions that come along with that, but we make up for it with watching Christmas Vacation, attending Christmas Eve church services, playing constant Christmas music, and making deviled eggs made specifically to my liking and some ‘doctored’ eggnog to my dad’s liking. Most importantly, we have each other’s presence.  

Matt Mercer ia a national network manager for Copart, Inc.