Reflections of... Traditions!

"Proud Dad! Proud Son! Look what they made!"

    Reflections Of…Traditions!

                                     by Alan P. Scaglione

Anybody see this commercial?

The one where there are two couples, one in their seventies, the other in their fifties.
The voice over lets you know that it is a father and his son, having dinner.
And father is reflecting that it’s time to let the son pay the bill.
He even says that he worries that the son has enough money to handle retirement.
The father states that he is still working, but the son has already retired.
But…this time—the father allows the son to pick up the tab—to pay the bill.
It’s the passing of the baton—from one generation to another—acknowledging the new generation…
While conceding the fact that life really is… like the Word says in James 4:14 when it declares
 “For what is your life? It is but a vapor, that appears for a little while and then… vanishes away!”
Such a sobering thought, huh?
And yet—we all know—it’s true!
We are just here for a little while and then—we are gone—like a vapor—vanishing away!
That’s why I believe in traditions, setting them, establishing them, adhering to them, teaching them…
And someday, passing them on.
One such tradition in our family is…
The Harvest Pumpkin!
Harvest?
Not Halloween?
Let me just say this again…
And I don’t need anyone to agree with me,
But for my wife and for me…
We do not participate nor celebrate Halloween in any way.
I say “for my wife and for me” because…
Although we raised our children in this way,
None of them have continued this tradition as adults.
Some of them recognize that our points may be valid and they acknowledge our right to feel this way…
While others have just chosen to ignore all that we taught them.
But Hey, this is NOT about that!
This is about our tradition of carving the pumpkin with my grandson Jett!
I went into our Publix this past Friday night—hoping to find the right pumpkin!
There were none!
Guess it’s too early?
Not so fast—I asked the produce manager—yes! I was determined, so I stopped and asked!
“Too early for pumpkins?”
He cocked his head to the side and grinned “We just got a delivery this morning—they’re in the back!”
And I looked, and he smiled and said “follow me!”
And to the back of the store we went—and there they were about 50 of them!
He helped me pick out the biggest and roundest as I explained to him our tradition of carving the harvest pumpkin.
He said his parents didn’t celebrate Halloween either—never said if he did.
So I get to Jett’s house, and he asks “whatcha bring me, Nano?”
I opened the van door, and there it was!
Jett screamed with glee “A Halloween Pumpkin!”
I said “No—it’s a Harvest Pumpkin!”
This 4 year old asked “What’s a Harvest?”
I chuckled and said “when the crops come in—like corn and carrots and potatoes!”
He laughed and said “it’s a Halloween Pumpkin!”
I give up!
So my son met me at the door and said “It’s a little early for Halloween—but not for the Harvest Pumpkin!”

He was laughing—with me? At me? Not quite sure.

We got to the table, laid out all of the paper, put the pumpkin down in the middle.
We let Jett design the face. He wanted teeth, and a triangle nose and…round eyes!
Jett took a marker to the pumpkin and drew what he wanted—on the pumpkin.
His dad said, “No Jett—Nano is going to carve the face out of the pumpkin—we don’t draw on it!”
At that moment, with my son and his son gathered around me to watch me carry on our Harvest Pumpkin carving tradition…
I paused, and… handed the knife over to my son!
It was now HIS tradition with His son… and it was time for me to step aside.
He was surprised—He was hesitant—but then, he took the knife and… he and Jett laughed and hovered over it until…
Their Harvest Pumpkin was complete!

But a vapor? True… just happy to be there, watching it slowly, eventually… fade away!

  

Brother “A”