For those of you that know anything about the history of England you will know that today, the 5th of November, is when we celebrate Bonfire Night. Guys Fawkes was the reason Bonfire Night started, and his story is pretty gruesome. He tried and failed to blow up the Houses of Parliament, was held as a prisoner in the Tower of London until he was executed. So, being a country strong on tradition, ever since then we have celebrated his failed gunpowder plot by putting a stuffed Guy Fawkes on top of a bonfire and burning it to the ground. Kind of crazy when you think about the history, but as I was growing up I didn’t realize all that history (as I am sure many of the youth now don’t either) I just enjoyed a time to hang out with friends and family, with treacle toffee, parched peas, parkin (to name just a few of the foods we ate) along with some fireworks.
Since obviously we don’t celebrate the 4th of July in England, this was when we got to let off our fireworks and have a good time. I must admit, I do much prefer fireworks in the summer than in November when the nights can be very cold and quite often rainy.
You might be wondering why I am telling you about this good old English tradition – well obviously the first reason is that today is the 5th November, but secondly it’s because as I sit over the other side of the Atlantic from my home country I realize that there are a lot of things, whether the reason behind them are great or not, that I miss about England. I have traveled back there now twice in the past 2 years, and the more I go the more I realize that I had an amazing upbringing and I am very happy for the life my parents gave me over there.
There is a lot to be said about tradition and nostalgia. There are a great many traditions that I brought over with me and I share with my family. Remembering where we came from is a huge part in recognizing and being grateful for where we are today. I have no plans to move back to England, however, I miss my friends, and I definitely miss a lot of the history that is everywhere over there. It has made me feel like I want to take my kids (now that they are older) to see some of the sights, to walk down memory lane with me, and to see where I grew up. My youngest two boys have never been over there, and I think they would love some of the places – who doesn’t love a castle or two?!
There have been times in my life when I have gone through hard things, one of which was moving over here to the US as a single mum…but now as I look back I can be grateful for that trying experience because it shaped me into who I am today. So as I sit and think about my life and the things that have made me stronger, I feel nothing but gratitude and appreciation. There are rewards from trials but only if we let ourselves surrender to the good that came from it. I know in some things it is harder to find something good that came from it – and it may be something as simple as meeting someone that helped you through or admitting to yourself that you need help (a challenge for me)…
Wherever you’re from, whatever you have been through, looking back at your life with fondness and love is the only way that you can move through today into the rest of your life. After all, nothing can drag you down if you’re not holding on to it!!
Have a fabulous Monday…
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