As I live each day in this frantic world that screams,

“Faster, Faster, you must hurry!,”

my  soul cries out, “I must go slower.”

It is difficult to remain tranquil when there is conflict with what one hears from the culture, and what one knows is truly best.  One way I like to slow time down, if you will, is to take time in my family life to create memories.  At the end of our lives, I want my husband and son to know what was important in our family.  This is easy to do, yet hard at the same time.

The Holidays are a wonderful opportunity to develop lasting memories, all built around family traditions.  Traditions are a kind of habit, not a bad habit, but a very good one!  Ever since I was a small girl, I dreamed of a home filled with rare and beautiful treasures.  But the treasures were not the kind that one could touch or hold, they were memory making times with a family, and love!

As I grew, I sought ways to learn about each holiday and occasion, so that I could make them more meaningful for my future husband, and our children.  Any of my Aunts or Uncles will tell you that I was a serious, purposeful young girl.  I somehow realized from a very young age that I was learning and experiencing so that I could teach for generations to come.  I prayed every evening for wisdom, understanding, and knowledge to be a great wife, and a wise mother.  I remember mentally noting several traditions of our minister, hoping to one day incorporate them into my future family’s life.

I realized that the holidays give us a chance to get in touch with our beautiful side.  They let all of our talents shine in creating  the gift of a special meal or event for family and friends.  In my current family, the special days like Thanksgiving are a time for dining lavishly and long, enjoying the slow parade of courses as my crystal gleams on the table, and the conversation warms.

I love to transform Blue Willow Cottage from a very “White” colored peaceful interior, to a Cottage that exudes the warm pumpkin colors of Autumn.  The place looks completely different from Summer to Fall, and then we bring out the Reds for Christmas!  In its beautiful, hospitable, and unpretentious ways, I want my home to be the very definition of comfort and joy.  This is my task, and I perform it with abandon.  In all of the quiet corners of our home, the Season shines forth.  My soul delights in such beloved traditions.