This time of the year is steeped in traditions for my family and me.  As I began planning for my fall traditions, I began to ponder their importance.  Traditions play a huge role in our families and should also be a part of any organization’s culture.  By definition, a tradition is the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc. from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice.  More than that, traditions become our roots and our anchors helping define and reminding us who we are.

The fall is probably my favorite season of the year.  After a hot, humid summer, I welcome the cooler temperatures and seem to be always astounded by the beauty of the changing colors of the leaves on the trees.  Fall is also the time in my family where traditions are anticipated and embraced.  In late September, there is usually a trip to the North Georgia Mountains to visit Mercier Orchards to purchase apples, apple butter and various syrups and jellies.  This trip is often accompanied with a hike on a trail that leads to a beautiful waterfall.  When my children were teenagers, we would usually take off after church on Sunday and head north.  Most years they went happily, other years they wondered why their mother couldn’t just buy apples at the grocery store like other mothers did.