This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and purchase an item, I will receive a small commission. For more info, please see my disclosure on my Connect page.

OK, so here is another random confession…

We really don’t have any of our OWN traditions.

Yep, we’ve been married for 10 years and we don’t do anything unique to our own little family unit. I’m not sure why, other than the fact that between the two of us, we have a very large, loving, incredible, somewhat crazy extended family that wants to be with us. I’m not complaining here, nobody get your panty’s twisted! I’m simply stating a fact. Thanksgiving is rotated between Manly’s fam and mine, as is Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We have an Easter egg hunt in my folks backyard and then another at Manly’s parent’s house. New Year’s is usually spent at one parent’s or the others, and, so on, and so on.

I guess it is true, what my daddy says, I am a “relationship person”.

I crave time spent with those I love, related or not. Basically, once you are my friend, you will always be my friend. I’m loyal like that. Ok, I’m getting off track, alright, reign it in, Missy!

I recently took a class on creating family traditions.

To be honest, I left feeling completely deflated and inadequate. How could we create meaningful, memorable family traditions when we are always part of someone elses? I had all but given up and yet couldn’t get the thought out of my mind. A couple weeks ago, on August 1st, I had an “A-ha!”
I want to share that light bulb with you…

August 1st is a very special day to me, it was my Great Aunt Janet’s birthday.

My “Auntie Ella” was born with Down Syndrome and she ROCKED it. She was my greatest hero. She took the lemons that life gave her and turned them into the world’s best lemonade. Then, she shared that lip puckering sweetness with my family. I don’t know how to describe her, other than the most amazing person I have ever known. She loved order, bright makeup, pretty nails, Diet Coke, Slimfast, and butterflies. She was honest, funny, clever, and full of sass. I was one of her many “daughters” and I always knew that no matter what the rest of the world thought of me, she loved me. Knowing her was like getting a glimpse into Heaven. Ella looked forward to her birthday 364 days of the year. To her, it was a day to party, and party she did. Anyway, my beloved Auntie passed away in September of 2009, and that day the universe lost a little bit of sunshine.

 

This year, as her birthday rolled around, I was overwhelmed with sadness.

My children would never have the memories of Jannie that I do. They were all so young when she left us. It was in that moment that something popped in my head. {Not by accident, I’m sure!} From that day on, August “One” as she used to say, was going to be a day to party, and party we did! We made chocolate pudding pops, colored pictures, giggled, ate, snuggled, watched movies, and when it started to sprinkle, we danced in the rain.

It was perfect, like Janet.

I learned something, traditions don’t have to be big elaborate events with endless food, fancy decorations, and tons of planning.

Traditions can be as simple as taking the day to laugh and remember, let go of worry, and to have fun. It may not be a national holiday, but for the rest of my lifetime, August 1st will always be the happiest day of the year. I think Ella would like it that way.

If I create the memory, she will always be near.

Happy August One.

*What traditions have you created?*