deepening your family culture

when i first heard the term “family culture” a few years ago i was sort of mystified.  what did it mean exactly?  it sounded like something i wanted, but how were we supposed to get there?  now a few years and a couple of children later, i’m a bit more comfortable using the term.  and i don’t mean anything really spectacular by it.  it just boils down to having things in common, doing things together: we go camping at the beach every year, we make a fire to celebrate the Solstice, we drink ice tea mixed with lemonade, we read a book aloud before bed each night.

i listed the easy one last.

simply sharing stories together will deepen your family culture.  it will give you lines to recite + inside jokes.  easy dinner conversation + a dependable routine.  at our place we’ve started lighting a candle before we begin the bedtime novel.  it’s gentle glow remains after we turn off the light.  then we do a short Ignatian examen–each one saying something good from their day, a place where they saw God.  then a song + a prayer.  then i blow out the candle.

simply reading books, taking walks, drawing, listening to music, doing chores, making food

together.