My family had this tradition of making our new year resolutions during the week leading up to New Year's day.
We would gather at home and then stay up late on New year's eve and spend an hour or so in prayer, sharing our resolutions, encouraging each other and making family plans for the New year.
There would be lots of tea and sticky rice cake to keep the party going.
We'd write our resolutions on a sheet of paper and keep it in the Family Bible.
Every Sunday evening, we would gather for family prayers and review our progress.
My parents believed that this was a good exercise in positive action because, the moment you assert an action in public, you would feel bound to keep at it. (Social Pressure Aha?)
So if you declare that you have a particular resolution for the new year.....for example, to spend less time on the phone chatting unnecessarily, your whole family had to support you and pitch in to help you keep your resolution.
Like when you are slipping up...they point it out or in Dad's case, yank the receiver out of your hands and slam it down with a final "Bye-Bye!".
(which was often.....two teenaged girls and one landline! :D )
I tell you it did get trying sometimes, but it helped us all a lot too.
For many years, I was the official reader of resolutions being the eldest.
And during the reviews, I somehow always made good progress and made an example of success.
I haven't been home for Christmas and New year for a long time and in the recent years, I even stopped making resolutions. And I haven't been much of an example lately.
But this year, I made my New Year resolutions and I haven't shared it with anyone.
Perhaps, at the end of the year, I will review my progress.
And hopefully I will have done really well for myself for once.
And maybe then, I will share it with my family just like old times,
and perhaps revive our family tradition.
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| Bringing in the new year with fireworks. |
There would be lots of tea and sticky rice cake to keep the party going.
We'd write our resolutions on a sheet of paper and keep it in the Family Bible.
Every Sunday evening, we would gather for family prayers and review our progress.
My parents believed that this was a good exercise in positive action because, the moment you assert an action in public, you would feel bound to keep at it. (Social Pressure Aha?)
So if you declare that you have a particular resolution for the new year.....for example, to spend less time on the phone chatting unnecessarily, your whole family had to support you and pitch in to help you keep your resolution.
Like when you are slipping up...they point it out or in Dad's case, yank the receiver out of your hands and slam it down with a final "Bye-Bye!".
(which was often.....two teenaged girls and one landline! :D )
I tell you it did get trying sometimes, but it helped us all a lot too.
For many years, I was the official reader of resolutions being the eldest.
And during the reviews, I somehow always made good progress and made an example of success.
I haven't been home for Christmas and New year for a long time and in the recent years, I even stopped making resolutions. And I haven't been much of an example lately.
But this year, I made my New Year resolutions and I haven't shared it with anyone.
Perhaps, at the end of the year, I will review my progress.
And hopefully I will have done really well for myself for once.
And maybe then, I will share it with my family just like old times,
and perhaps revive our family tradition.
Content copyright Tetseos ©All rights reserved. Please do not use any images/content without prior permission.
That was a sweet post!
ReplyDeleteah! how we miss those carefree and innocent days, the little things we take for granted.
Family is very precious and living life TOGETHER as a family is so important.
I guess now we have all become "individualistic" and family seems like an accessory!
Hi Aaron,
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
When all is said and done, the only thing left to anchor you is family.
What comfort that assurance brings though it is not always an easy road to travel!