January 26: Big Day in Our Family

Tonight, we are going to Becky's house to celebrate the birthday of her daughter Whitley. Her birthday isn't until the 26th, but due to some bad weather coming in, we're doing it tonight. We'll probably have a meal, soup or sandwiches or something similar. Whitley will open her gifts, and we'll have cake and ice cream after singing Happy Birthday to her. All of this is accompanied by laughter, visiting amongst the adults, and a rip-roaring good time by the kids playing with their toys and competing for attention from the adults.

Whitley will have her boyfriend, Blake, with her, and depending on weather conditions, may leave after the party to return to Manhattan, or stay the night. Hopefully, Colin and his little family will be there, as well as other family members.

This has been a tradition since Colin was a baby and extends to all family members. What some may not remember is that January 26 is also my mom's birthday and her wedding anniversary. Mama would be 96 years old, and it would be their 76th wedding anniversary. An aunt of mine also shared a birthday on the 26th.

Traditions are a huge part of my life. Most of them relate to milestones in our lives: birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, graduations, funerals, and religious holidays. We usually try to get as many family members together to participate in these activities. Photos are a large part of these activities also.

My mom was a big one for collecting photos of all of us throughout our lives. She had boxes, bags, albums, and scrapbook pages of all of us. She could usually tell you who we were and characteristics of each of us. She pointed her camera toward us every time we came to visit, even after we were adults. It was her way of making sure we were living fossils, I guess. I treasure most of the photos, but I really wish she would have penciled in who the other family members were on the backs of the photos. Because I may have known them when I was very young, but I can't remember their names any more now that I'm an adult with beginning senility. 

Well, almost time to get this party started. Maybe I can do an "Opal" and snap a few photos of my own. If I do, I'll try to post them on here. Digital photos take up a lot less space and last as long as I don't accidentally delete them or lose where I saved them to.

Party time!