Tradition or Legacy?

Families across the world pass down customs and beliefs from generation to generation. We call this tradition. Regardless of its origin, be it faith, culture, or simply something that started for a particular reason and people thought it important to continue, traditions are often used to bring people together. We often see traditional elements during the fall and winter months (USA, from November through January). As these months approach, we gather for celebrations, cooking, giving of gifts, and the need to spend time together.

When we look at legacy, we see much of the same characteristics as we do with tradition. A legacy is something that is passed on through the generations. But a legacy holds more personal value than tradition . . . at least, it should. A tradition is something that is intentionally passed on because it represents something of significance. A legacy is the impact that a person has made on others, and people want to continue the memory of this person for a significant reason.

As we are now ending November and transitioning into the colder months of the year (USA), I take another look at legacy. This time, from a personal perspective.

I love pie. If I have a weakness, it’s the sweet taste of pastry. Pie, especially homemade pie, is the best way to celebrate a meal and time with others. Of course, the meal itself should be something worth remembering. But homemade pie brings back memories. Did I mention I love pie?

Thanksgiving is my daughter’s favorite time of year. No presents are given. My daughter loves the food. Every year, as I prepare the turkey, I think back to when I was younger. After high school and into my early twenties, I served as a Marine. During Thanksgiving, I had the opportunity to spend time with a friend of mine. Joe was a Sergeant in the Marine Corps who lived with his wife and children near the base. Every Thanksgiving, his wife would bake pies.

But these were no ordinary pies. They were legendary. The recipes originated more than one hundred years ago, as early as the Great Depression, if not before. And the name associated with these pies was Aunt May. She was the one who started a tradition that became a legacy. She baked pies for her family, her neighbor’s families, and pretty much the neighborhood. Yes, her pies were that good.

People knew Aunt May for her pies. But they also knew her stories. And with each pie there was a story. For example, one year, her nephew John (also known as little John since he was always the smallest member of the family) fell out of a tree while picking apples. It was a week before Thanksgiving, and everyone was preparing for the upcoming holidays. And there was little John with a broken arm. To make John feel better, everyone from the neighborhood, even folks from miles around, came to the house to sign John’s cast. To little John, this was the best Thanksgiving ever . . .?despite having a broken arm. He was the only one with a cast, and that made him feel even more special. And the best thing, he got to eat an extra piece of pie on Thanksgiving.

And the story of little John continued year after year and passed on from generation to generation. You see, we all knew (except little John) what Aunt may did. She sent word out (which was not difficult to do) to everyone about what had happened so that they would all come and sign John’s cast. And he kept the cast for as long as he could after it was removed. So that John would never forget what had happened that year, Aunt May wrote it down and associated it with the apple pie recipe. From that time forward to this day, Aunt May’s apple pie recipe is attached to the story of little John. And every year, the story of little John is told.

Then there is the story of Sally, Aunt May’s younger sister. One summer, while the family was fishing in the lake, Sally fell in. She was soaked head to toe. Normally, this would not make a very interesting story. But as the story goes, she was trying to impress her boyfriend at the time. She was really not very good at fishing. The whole family had a good laugh and the next year Sally and her then boyfriend got married. To this day, Aunt May’s cherry pie recipe is attached to Sally’s story.??????

Joe and his wife would bake their pies and tell their stories. They carried on Aunt May’s legacy as did many other people both in and out of the family. Although her recipes created some of the best pies you will ever taste, people passed on the memory of Aunt May through her stories. She was a woman of great compassion, passion, and energy. She wanted people to feel good, even in trying and painful circumstances. And she always found a way to make you feel important . . . even valued . . . for the person that you were. I think this is why people tell her stories, and even add a few of their own into the mix.

In my own family, no one person stands out as having such an impact. But I do remember the stories of Aunt May. Over the years, I have lost her recipes (much to my chagrin). But I have the memories of her and her pies. And I think this is of most importance.

We often don’t think about how our words and actions impact others. Many people simply live their lives. There is no sense of others in their lives. And this is unfortunate. We tend to live within our own thoughts, trying to survive the day . . . the week . . . the year. But if we gave thought to our actions with a bit more intent, we may find that we can have a better, even brighter, impact on the world around us.

Thank you for reading!

Credit for images: www.pixabay.com