Rituals
Labor Day and the start of school makes us think about rituals.
School has its own flow and rhythm of course but so do many other aspects of our lives.
Labor Day also means fall which flows into a line-up of secular and religious holidays.
Fall means cooler weather, shorter days, and impending winter. Some clothes get folded away while others are brought out.
Each of us has our own rituals and patterns. They make sense to us even if the might seem odd to others. Maybe we grew up with them. Maybe we adopted them as adults. They're ours. Part of both how we mark the passing of time and pattern our lives.
Imagine for a second not being able to honor the rituals we held dear or if our family suddenly declared we were no longer doing things the old way, that everything was being shuffled and re-designed.
Imagine being in foster care where every placement change means a new family with different habits and rituals.
Imagine not knowing if your favorite Thanksgiving dish would be on the table or if your new foster mom makes it the "right" way.
Rituals. They seem small and silly but they are part of who we are.
And one more reason that every child, every teen needs permanency and to know that he or she will be part of this family's rituals for life.