I heartily agree. And thanks for using the word “ritual.” It was the one I was looking for. “Ceremonies” are special ritual events, while “ritual” is the broader term.

Mrs. J–

What a wonderful comment! And I love the idea of a reunification ceremony. That’s the kind of ritual that really is a ceremony too. Not just a practice, but a kind of full-blown event.

Ceremonies do so much for our identities, and sometimes the things that seem small and insignificant parts of an observance turn out to be tremendously defining and empowering.

My sister Heather, who went home to be with the Lord just before Christmas last year, had a special gift for making ceremonies out of moments. She very much believed in creating traditions for whatever community she was a part of — right down to having a special, fun song that she always sang and danced to with her little nieces and nephews each time she saw them altogether.

I used to think it was silly, but then she moved 1,000 miles away, and that song and dance became the “moment of reunion” each time she returned to DE for a visit. The nieces and nephews couldn’t wait to grab her hands and start singing….it meant we were all together again!

When she passed away, I was so blessed to picture the next time we will be all together again, and to know that everyone will grab hands and start the song once more.

I want to be unafraid to create those moments in our homeschool community as well as in my family, my church, and elsewhere, creating traditions that say something to all involved in them.

In good times, rituals like holiday traditions and daily routines help define our identities.

We are blessed as homeschoolers and Christians to choose the rituals that are useful to us.