Rituals whether with my family or at the Montessori School where I teach are important. Rituals bring security, comfort and a sense of structure in my life. For example when I married my husband Jack, I had two small sons. He married an instant family. He began the ritual of "Pancake Saturdays." This ritual continues to this day 19 years later, although we will often have waffles in lieu of pancakes but the ritual is the same....Jack makes breakfast and I can relax, have my coffee, read, help out or just hang out in the kitchen while he prepares breakfast and the kids were in there with us. I have a picture of Jack making pancakes and our daughter is standing on a chair helping daddy make breakfast. I love that picture! She is about three and she is in her pajamas and so is daddy making breakfast on "Pancake Saturday."
Life is full of rituals....going to church, going to school, going to work, weddings, birthday parties, holiday celebrations, Graduations. My daughter will be graduating High School in June...this picture tugs at my heart as she is my youngest, they really do grow up fast! My favorite memories are the smaller rituals like family game night, movie night, Sunday Dinners, and Pancake Saturdays. The boys are in their thirties now, both married and each has a child. I'm blessed with a grandson who is 3 years old and a granddaughter who is 6 months old. My oldest son, his wife and my grandson live in the St Louis area. They have "pancake Saturdays" too. My youngest son, his wife and my granddaughter live in the KC area. They know if they stop by our house on Saturday mornings what will be served for breakfast, lol. It's not the food that is the big deal, after all it's just pancakes (or waffles), but it's the time spent together making the impression on our hearts, leaving us with memories of togetherness, laughing, teasing and just being a family and being surrounded in our kitchen with the people I love. I wonder if my daughter will have "Pancake Saturdays" in her own home one day, I hope so!
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