New Traditions

I love traditions. We've created some in our family that I cherish, like our annual gathering on Christmas Eve, and our New Year's Day "lucky feast" with black eyed peas and Larry's labor-intensive-but-so-worth-it cabbage rolls. Traditions are the touchstones that we have to remind us of what's really important in life: family, friends, love, fun, sharing and caring.

It looks like another tradition may have been born this past weekend. It was our first-ever Pumpkin Massacre (pumpkin carving party) and it was so much fun! First of all, God granted us with the most perfectly glorious fall day ever. We had tables set up in the backyard for pumpkin carving and decorating and the fire pit on the patio was a popular spot as well. Inside, our beloved New Orleans Saints were playing a most memorable game.

We had a great crowd of creative and fun friends who transformed about a dozen pumpkins into jack'o'lanterns. It was a big ol' orange mess, and lots of fun! Leslie Puckett, ever the resourceful one, saved the seeds and roasted them for us.

After the sun had set, and the last of the guests had left, Larry and I sat around the glowing embers of the fire pit and talked about what a good day it was and how much fun we had and how lucky we are to have such a fun group of friends who were willing to stab a pumpkin a few times...just because!

It was the end of a great week. Larry, Nicole and I all went to the USM game with Gene and Maggie Clark the weekend before, and we left Nicole in Hattiesburg to visit with friends. I drove back down on Sunday to join her for mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, where we both spoke after Father Tommy's homily.

Kate had car trouble for several days last week, so I ended up driving Nicole to therapy and her workouts with Eclesius for a few days. (By the way, we are actively looking for a new Personal Care Assistant for Nicole--Kate is going back to school soon). It was actually nice to spend time with Nicole again. She leads such a busy life, that we rarely have time to spend one-on-one.

Speaking of Eclesius, he is really doing wonders with Nicole. She is so excited that she is able to do more and more in the gym. Just last night, she told me that when she first started working out with E, she could barely do four or five crunches, and now she can do them continuously for several minutes. Her muscles are becoming so much more defined. At the time of her accident, she was in peak physical condition. It only took about a month for her muscles to completely atrophe. As she builds the muscles back up, she is gaining strength, which helps with her walking and balance. It's amazing to see how her hard work is affecting her ability to walk.

So maybe I need to get a clue and begin a tradition of my own...regular exercise. I do some here and there, but to really be effective, I need to be more consistent. Nicole is really motivating me to take it up a notch.

Blessings to all who read this!
Susan