I am thankful for community traditions.
Twenty years ago when we made a big move from Texas to Maryland, my sons weren't too happy with it, especially Theo. He spent every waking moment trying to figure out a way to get back to Texas. There were just too many changes for him. Even so, he was slowly warming up to a couple of kids who lived down the street.
One day, they invited him to be in a community parade with other cub scouts. Wally was excited about it, but Theo wasn't too sure. After I found out the details from their mother, we joined the local cub scout pack at the parade formation area. Wally stepped right up and volunteered to carry the banner in front of the group. Theo was still not too sure of things until he found out the little ones, which included him, got to ride on a wagon in the parade. That he thought was pretty cool and for a little while he thought his new town was pretty cool, too.
We didn't know it at the time, but that was the first parade for the town and since then, it has evolved into an annual, weekend-long celebration. It has been a long time since Wally and Theo have been in the parade, but I have carried on the family tradition marching with the local library most years. Ward joins me afterwards and we watch the fireworks together. This past weekend was another year of this fun time.
So, for this community and family tradition, I am thankful.
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| Theo is in the wagon and Wally is in front of the truck carrying a banner during the very first parade. |
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| This is me, several years later, at the formation spot waiting for the parade to start. |
