I was thinking earlier this morning how important it is to cherish special traditions, you know, those aspects of family days that will pass when loved ones go from this life into eternity...or when they are merely too ill to participate. Sometimes we do not get to experience a gradual decline of how it "used to be", but sometimes, we do. One year the tradition is being carried out, the next it is but not by the person who started it because they are unable to work as they used to, the next it is being carried on through a sweet and cherished memory by those left behind.                              

I'm blessed with a husband who does all the right things on big family days. Mother's Day never goes unnoticed, nor does my birthday or our anniversary. He was taught well by someone very special, who has always celebrated each of these events right along with us. She has guided, encouraged, and served selflessly, teaching us all by her shining example how to show others we love them and appreciate them.       

I'm not sure why God has given our family this sort of closeness or why He has given me a relationship such as I have with my mother-in-law. It has definitely transformed each of us in unique ways, and has started what I hope will be a family tradition of closeness with my children's spouses.