Write about a few of your favorite family traditions.
My favorite family tradition is now just a memory. My paternal grandmother hosted family dinners for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. After my parents divorced, these family gatherings kept our family connected. Oh, how I appreciate that! Once Grandma C. passed away, that holiday tradition stopped.
Now my grandparents and parents are gone. My siblings still have family dinners on occasion. It isn’t the same as gathering at Grandma’s house, but we still really enjoy getting together at a restaurant or at a sister’s home.
Growing up in a large family, we loved to play board games. My older brother, my sisters, and I would gather after school to play Monopoly. When we went to Grandma C’s house, we would play Yatzee or Chutes and Ladders. Today, my older sister gets her Scrabble game out every time I visit, so we can crown the Scrabble champion.
A family is not just the people you’re related to by blood. I have a church family with its own traditions. Celebrating holidays and gathering for meals builds connections and passes our values onto the younger generation. In the fall, there is always a chili cook-off, but now there is also a harvest celebration for the kids. I am looking forward to the Winter Extravaganza tomorrow.
Traditions give us something to look forward to. They create precious memories and bond us as family.
What do you enjoy doing most in your leisure time?
Leisure is an important topic for me to consider as I approach retirement. I don’t want to spend too much time sitting around doing nothing.
I have to admit that I already spend too much time watching television, often while also reading or playing games.
TV watching is the number one leisure activity in the US, but watching too much of it is not healthy. I found an article that lists 30 activities you can do instead of watching TV. I won’t list them all, just the ones that appeal to me.
Birdwatching
Cooking and baking
Crafting or art projects
Gardening
Hiking or walking
Journaling or blogging
Volunteering
Putting puzzles together
Reading a book
Meditation
Crafting/art projects: When I have the opportunity to do art projects with other people, I have fun. I crocheted years ago. There is a knitting/crocheting group at my church that I could join. I do not think of myself as artistic, but I think I would enjoy painting.
Birdwatching: Instead of just watching from my window, I may take my binoculars and combine it with hiking or walking. I will also continue to take pictures of wildflowers.
Cooking and baking: I did almost all the cooking for the first 25 years or so of our marriage. It became just another chore. My husband started cooking and baking when he retired, and he enjoys it! He has also made it clear that he appreciates my help. I’ve been doing some baking for church funerals and cooking for monthly potlucks.
Reading: These days, I mostly read articles online. I read the Bible every day. I want to visit my local library and get back in the habit of reading just for fun.
Gardening: I like to plant flowers and don’t even mind weeding. We don’t have much of a growing season here, but it might be fun to grow some vegetables and herbs.
Volunteering: Today, I find volunteer opportunities at church and with my running club. After I retire, I would like to volunteer with my husband at a to-be-determined charity.
Puzzles: I have always liked jigsaw puzzles. My husband and I have talked about doing this activity together. We just have to keep the cats from helping!
Blogging: I would like to be a more consistent blogger, as I have been this month with the help of daily prompts. When I go weeks without writing, I am wasting an opportunity to express myself and share my thoughts with others.
Meditation: My interest in meditation is as a practice of spending quiet time with God. This month, our pastors introduced us to the practices of Lectio Divina and the Daily Office. Both disciplines involve prayer and quiet time.
When I first read this prompt, I thought it was just another question about hobbies. But it has helped me envision how I can spend my time meaningfully when I retire. Rest and relaxation are important for the body, mind, and spirit.
Lord, when I began my career, it seemed like I would be working forever! Yet the years have flown by. Thank you for letting me know it was time to retire. There are so many things I can do with my time. I pray that you will lead me to the right volunteer opportunity. I also pray for the spiritual discipline to spend more of my time resting in your presence.Amen.
Name an attraction or town close to home that you still haven’t got around to visiting.
My home is in South Dakota. Since moving to the Black Hills region four years ago, I’ve visited a few popular tourist attractions – Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, and Bear Country USA.
I have not visited the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs. The history of the site’s discovery is interesting. In 1974, the property was set to be developed for a housing project. A man who was leveling the ground struck something white with his blade and got out to take a closer look. It was the nearly seven foot long tusk of a mammoth. Today, the site is “the world’s largest mammoth research facility.”
Another attraction close to home that I have not yet visited is Adventure Park in Keystone, SD. I planned to visit for my 60th birthday to do something adventurous – ziplining! But a month before my birthday, I fractured and dislocated my shoulder.
The Black Hills have several caves. I have visited Jewel Cave National Monument and a smaller cave. I would like to visit Wind Cave National Park.
When I retire later this year, I will have no excuse not to visit these attractions. Adventures await!
1. Hiking in the woods with friends, crossing streams, climbing over rocks, stopping to look at flowers and mushrooms, and butterflies. Listening to chickadees and crossbills.
2. Road trips to visit family. Listening to music and singing along. Chatting, eating, playing games, making and sharing memories.
3. Road and trail running races. Admiring the speed and endurance of other runners while slogging along to the best of my ability.
4. Dining out and enjoying tasty meals.
5. Watching birds that visit my backyard feeders – Eurasian collared doves, dark-eyed juncos, house sparrows, and bluejays. The surprise visit of several sharp-tailed grouse.
If you could make your pet understand one thing, what would it be?
Fourteen years ago, we looked for a kitten after our cat Callie died. There weren’t any kittens at the Dumb Friends League, a really well-run shelter in Denver. My husband found another shelter that did have a few kittens. He liked Stormy, a ten-month old black cat, and a dilute “tortie” kitten. He let me choose which one to adopt.
Of all colors, black cats reportedly have the lowest adoption rates and highest euthanasia rates. For that reason, I chose Stormy.
I don’t know Stormy’s history, but I don’t think she was socialized much in the shelter. She is much more skittish than any cat we’ve ever had. My husband was able to get her to sit on his lap right away, but it took a while for her to warm up to me.
Stormy is so sweet, I call her my little angel. She doesn’t meow much, and she doesn’t beg to be fed constantly, unlike our younger cat, Misty.
I have bonded with Stormy. She is sitting on my legs as I write. She has trained me to follow her to the guest bedroom in the basement when she wants to be petted.
Stormy is still afraid to be picked up. If I could make her understand one thing, it is that I will never hurt her.
Innermost Being 