Family Tradition

My family is not like any other family. (trust me I’ve spent a lot of time with them). There are no holiday traditions. I realized that traditions don’t especially have to come from holidays. Traditions in our family stems from routine. When I lived at home, this routine was dull and boring. Now I can’t wait to visit home to feel the comfort of our simple traditions.

There is one mealtime routine (turned tradition) that I will someday enjoy with a family of my own. This tradition has been going as long as I can possibly remember, I like to think that it started when my parents first married.

Every meal the family sits down together and starts with a silent prayer before anyone dares take a bite. When mom thinks the prayer has been long enough all the children (about twelve and under) say Lord bless this food for Jesus sake Amen. Then its eating time Thursday nights (my noodle hating older sisters least favorite night) is my fathers favorite its spaghetti night. He swears to this day that no one makes spaghetti like my mom.

If we turn our backs dad is sneaking a bite or two off of our plates. The table is full of conversation and laughter. The conversation usually centered around the families dairy farm. Bringing up inappropriate subjects such as cow manure and cows giving birth was not uncommon.

On winter nights, as individual plates get emptied we make our way to the wood stove (not entirely environmentally friendly but cheap and comforting) When the matriarch is finished she drags a chair over along with the worn family Bible, we sit quietly in the familiar warmth as she reads a chapter or two. As she closes the Bible everyone closes their eyes and bows their head for final thanks and moms voice says softly Lord we thank thee, again the children finish, Lord we thank thee for this food for Jesus sake Amen.

Safeway is a community.

Safeway is a community. I chose my place of work for this post because it feels like nearly all my time is spent there. Generally community is defined as a neighborhood. Whenever I walk into Safeway, whether I want to be there or not, its home. Just like in every neighborhood there is the busy body, the frugal person that is always “borrowing”, the person that loves everyone, the girl that flirts with all the guys and last but not least the ladies man. I have to admit that some people that work at Safeway don’t think of it as a community, its just a paycheck.

A community is a place of different people with different values and beliefs that spend time together. We at Safeway are connected in little ways, like the fact that we all had to join the union. The company would say that we share the values of superior customer service.

This isn’t a Utopia though, in this delightful group of individuals with different needs and wants there is strife. Apparently there is a thief among us, the food in the fridge has never been safe. There are also notes in the stall of the ladies restroom, “did you leave poo on the loo”. You can probably figure out the reason for that one without any explanation.

I fit in easily with this group, it doesn’t take much just do your job. I wouldn’t say that I chose to be a part of this community, had I been hired at any other company I would probably be writing about them right now. However I will say that, even though I don’t plan to work their forever, I am proud to be a part of Safeways community.

"How To Lose A Wallet In Ten Days" or "P.S. I Love My Wallet"

Ever heard of the brand Lodis? If not thats okay I hadn't either until my sister showed off her brand new, shiny, light pink Lodis wallet. For me it was love at first sight. It was like a chocolate and peanut butter lovers first taste of Reeses, it was like Toads first glance at a motor car (in Wind in the Willows), it was like... Whoa sorry back to the wallet. Apparently my fascination with my sisters wallet paid off. For my eighteenth birthday I received a bright pink Lodis wallet, I was overjoyed, especially once I figured out how to open it.

If I lost my precious wallet and it was found by you, I wish you luck in opening it, its pretty tricky. You'd probably think some high class person lost such an expensive wallet and expect to find a huge wad of cash and credit cards, but no that bulge is just coins and old receipts that have been piling up.

From my AAA card, an airline checked luggage stub, and my receipts that range from Washington to Iowa, you would assume that I am a well traveled individual. My picture smiles at you from the front of my license across from that my debit card sits temptingly. Would you steal from an eighteen year old organ donor?

There are many things you could never learn about me from my wallet. You'd never know that this "well traveled individual" gets lost when she leaves her hometown, or that those receipts and stubs bring to mind cherished memories of visits with my family. That even if my wallet is never returned everything will be fine because I've learned that material possessions can be replaced, its family relationships that need to be protected.

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