Seems like I’m always giving a weather report from the back porch and here this evening it’s very pleasant 62° and very little wind at all. Well after we all got chairs or boxes and got seated this evenings Ponder came quickly. We got into a discussion about the holiday season. It’s pretty much upon us now. Next week will be Thanksgiving and we begin to talk about families and get-togethers and things that we’ve become accustomed to over the years that just don’t exist anymore. I think we all have reached a point in our lives where we realize that with age comes a lot of problems, blessings, different things and most of us are able to adjust fairly well to those changes. But there’s one change that takes place that really hits home hard. Tradition… and tonight that will be our Ponder for this evening. Tradition is the handing down of beliefs, customs, and practices from one generation to the next, often by word-of-mouth or practice. It represents a long-standing way of acting within a group or society, the word originates from the Latin word Tradere, meaning to transmit or handover. Now right off we want to eliminate groups, society and our focus will be on family traditions. We’re looking at inherited customs, beliefs, or practices that have been passed down and have a symbolic meeting or a special significance in our families. Of course, now we want to recognize the fact that there are cultural traditions. It’s a process of transmitting, cultural knowledge, stories, and habits from ancestors to descendants, sometimes without written records. And of course, when we get into the religious context we’re talking about the body of doctrines and laws and practices that are believed to have been established by a certain religion by its founders and their followers. What this really comes down to is that it’s about evolution. Many of our traditions are invented overtime and they can involve a whole lot of changes but us old folks we don’t do well with change. Most of us here on the porch agree that we like that turkey out of the oven cooked just like grandma and mom used to do. Oh yes, before I forget it. Don’t forget the heart, gizzard, and the liver and neck, they’re in that little sack hid in the cavity. We like our green beans country style, what we mean by that is a ham hock or some bacon grease boost them up and give them a down-home flavor. I always look forward to that sweet tater casserole. You know the one with marshmallows melted across the top of it. Of course, we always like those mashed potatoes with gravy, lots of gravy, homemade biscuits, some of us remember using a biscuit to sop up some of that gravy. And whatever you do, don’t forget the cranberry sauce. I will guarantee you that sometime later in the day, somebody will be in the kitchen, fixing themselves a turkey and cranberry sandwich. You gotta have plenty of iced tea, southern style, iced tea, lots of sugar. Now I almost forgot that dressing. Making dressing for this particular meal is an art and when you get it just right and you ladle enough gravy on top of it… how does that old saying go… “now you’re cooking”. Of course we don’t want to leave out the dessert. You got to have at least three kinds of pie. Your choice, of course, but mine would be Apple, Pumpkin, and Peach. Now in my family, you would have to also add, ice cream for the apple and homemade whipped cream for the pumpkin and peach. It’s a family tradition.

Somebody in the group brought up Hank Williams Junior, and a song that he had recorded some years back. “ It’s a Family Tradition” which we quickly reminded them that, that wasn’t exactly the type of tradition we were looking for. But in fairness to our friend, we recognize the fact that tradition takes many forms and whatever they may be they’re important to the people that they’ve been passed down to, and who will pass them down in the future. So, I guess at this point is where I write Ponder This…  there is no greaterTradition than the family gathering around the table, giving thanks, and enjoying a fine Thanksgiving Dinner.

Hope you and yours have a good one.

Kurt