Give Thanks...Family Traditions

 If, in the next couple of days, you find yourself meandering around the Farmington Utah Cemetery, you may come across a humble pumpkin sitting atop a headstone. Of all the headstones in that particular cemetery, that particular one means the most to me, and of all the pumpkins in the world, that one sitting alone on the cold earth means the most to me.

This morning, I picked up the pre-selected pumpkin, hollowed it out, and carved into it three words and a tiny spider. Some say I was preparing for Halloween, but actually, I was carrying on a family tradition, one I've kept alive or decades. It's the Jack-O-Lantern I carved for my mom before her birthday.

I am thankful for family traditions. I don't know if we have more or less than other families when it comes to traditions. I've only been associated with mine, and my wife's. Most of our traditions center around holidays, and I suppose the Happy Birthday pumpkin falls in that category. I'd like to think I'd do something similar even if it weren't close to Halloween.

Yes, the headstone means the most, the pumpkin means the most, and one of the three words I carved earlier today is one of the most important words I've ever known...

Mom.

Happy birthday, Mom (in a few days...). Same time next year.