Continuing Family Traditions in the Midst of Loss

Proverbs 1:8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction…

He wasn’t there. And strangely, the name "Dad" didn’t come up as often as I had thought it would. And when it did, it was in joyful remembrance, with not an ounce of deep sorrow, just an occasional moment of thoughtful, "I wish he were here". It was our week in the cabin.

And yet, Tom was there. We honored him by continuing in his instruction. He was in every routine played out in "Dad" tradition- from how he looked after the security in the cabin, to how he balanced playtime with clean up time. He was in the new games invented by us this week, for each new inventive fun was a variation on the pureness of Tom’s nature.

I contentedly watched all four boys- seeing glimpses of Tom in each of them- Joe’s breezy logic, Brian’s serious creativity, Carter’s puppy-like frolic, and Christian’s wacky commentary. That cabin wrapped all of the children’s individualized reflections of Dad together into one small compact space where I could observe and relish them as a single unit that revealed the love of my life!

I felt surrounded by the warmth of him, and I knew that Christ was providing that security for me- allowing me to continue our traditional vacation in New England, in our cabin, the way we always had.

Dear Lord,
Thank you for the beauty of New England. Thank you for Tom’s wisdom of keeping our vacation traditions simple, so that the fun we have is truly centered on enjoying each other- not on being entertained. This time with the children was incredibly relaxed, spontaneous, and full of Your character- exactly as Tom would have had it. Thank you for helping us honor him by continuing in his instructions and turning his traditions into ours. Because we focused on You, our vacation felt whole and complete, knowing that the boys’ father happily sleeps in You as we play the way he had instructed us to.