I love watching the Walton’s on TV and I now own the entire set of each season. This TV show was during a time that many know as, “The Great Depression”… here is the USA, back in history, in the late 1920’s and into the early 1930’s. 

Do you ever feel like “life” has taken a life of its own and …..just taken overyour life and there is no time for anything anymore.  The more I try to tweak things and slow things down …the busier I seem to get.  I laugh at times…we love to “check-in” and document what we do on Facebook.  I will show up to work or meet someone at an event and the first thing they will say to me is …..”How do you do all that you do?”

Now, if you know my life or have followed my blog….you know that I am a working full-time mom, homeschool my youngest, I am a mom of an Autistic son, a wife of an epileptic husband, and involved in many, many homeschool, support groups, church events and activities.  Yes, we stay extremely busy!!! We have friends that work and go home and call it a day.  The thought of going out and doing anything after work is way too much for them to handle.  I would ask them….how do you not go out after work?  There is so much in life to experience and enjoy ….how do you not what to try to enjoy something new and different or have some fun with the small old thing that you like so much.

Now….getting back to simple traditions… that mean the most, what does this mean to you?  Even though we are very busy doing things, we are learning more and more that being busy with people and making memories is where it is at for us!!!  We love things like home decor, we love to collect things and so on……not to say that there is anything wrong with that, but we have found for us and at this stage of life that “those things” have just taken on a whole new meaning.  We have begun to change our way of life and not collect and accumulate so many things but to make choices of what we do like and really want to keep etc…  I have also begun to take pictures of some of my treasures and journal the story behind them in a scrapbook.  My kids don’t want my “things” ….this seems to be the new trend of the “Millennials” and the “Gen Y”.  So then the question is ….what do we do with all this stuff?  Well, I decided to get rid of a lot and make room not only in my house but in my life for new memoires that are not made of things, but events, people, and trips etc…..

When I watch the Walton’s….I watch a family who enjoyed the simple things in life.  They didn’t need much!!! They didn’t need things……as a matter of fact anyone that I talked to from this generation refer to this time (that is during the depression); a time when things were simple and sometimes they even say “the good old days”.

What is the secret to this special time in their life…..well let me share a few stories that have inspired me to make a change in my own life!

• Popcorn Sunday – you ask what is this…..well, how about popcorn for dinner.  I met a family that said they would make a big deal on Sunday night and call it “Popcorn Sunday”. They had very little money and food during the depression…so popcorn was cheap and available to them so this is what they would eat.  But yet the memories of this night still exists to this day and guess what they enjoy eating on a Sunday night still…you guessed it…”Popcorn”.
• Scrumple– now what is this?  My dad grew up in the depression time too…..they had next to nothing…they would make toys from boxes, sticks and a bit of string would they might find lying around.  My Dad’s memories of this time are referred to over and over again and he smiles and is uplifted every time he talks about it.  On Saturday night….with a family of 7 and no money, my grandfather would create “Scrumple”for dinner (a name they made up for this dish).  This would consist of every little bit of any type of leftovers from that week.  They would get out the big black cast iron skillet and dump in all the little leftover bits and then cover it with oatmeal.  They would they fry it up and a gourmet meal, or at least that is how my dad remembers it, was created.

• Crackers – how can this be a memory?  I have a friend who grew up in a very poor country where there was not only a lack of money but of food too.  No milk, no flour….not much of anything while she grew up.  She was sharing with me the other night that there where nights when they would each get 2 crackers for dinner and they were grateful for just that little bit.  There was not an option to ask for more….there was no more in the cabinet.  As a matter of fact there was not a refrigerator or even a stove in the home.  Any yet, the memories of these crackers kept her humble and thankful for every little thing she has to this day.

I know that some people would think I am crazy for thinking this but… I think that the time during the depression is something that we all should have lived through.  It seems to have taught that generation of people for the most part….not to worry about the little things, be grateful for the little things, enjoy what you have, don’t wastes things, be creative, be resourceful and so much more.

Where are we today with things and stuff…..we have more than we would ever use!  We are not a grateful people; we want more and more and yet need nothing.  We complain about things we have no right to complain about.

Well, I will, as they say get off my soap box now… I am speaking to myself too on this matter.  I am now trying to enjoy the little things and create traditions that will have a life time of memoires for my family to share.  So much so that for dinner sometimes we have had a bowl of popcorn, I have learned to use all my little bits of leftovers to make a big pot of homemade “kitchen soup”… and we have even had crackers and jelly for a meal on occasion.  Trying something new is good and by doing these things….it has reminded me of the friends and family that have taught me life lessons through their stories.

Simple Traditions ….can defiantly mean the most and create some of the best times of our lives and give us the best memoires to share with our families.

Did you live through times like these?  Do you have some great memories to share with us?  I would love to hear from you in the comments below.  Tell us about your favorite simple traditions, tell us about your story during the depression….tell us something that you do to keep great memoires in a simple way for your family.

Thanks for reading my Blog today!!!

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother