Tuna fish Saturdays

Each weekend, I try to visit my Mom, who lives nearby in the same town. I love being able to visit with her for a few hours on weekend days. I enjoy spending time there with her. There is just something unique about going to the house in which you grew up. It is comforting, somehow, and calming. Lately, I've been eating lunch at her house. It allows me to spend a bit more time with her, and I can see her earlier in the day than if I ate lunch at my house. 

For some reason, I've been eating tuna fish sandwiches the past four Saturdays at her house. It's becoming sort of a tradition, if you will. I woke up today, knowing I would be going to her house, and one of the first things I thought of was, "Maybe I'll have tuna for lunch at Mom's." That sounds rather trivial, perhaps, but to me, I think it's because I'm looking forward to seeing her, because those tuna fish Saturdays allow me to relax in conversation with her, catch up about my week, see how she is doing, and also, we always, always talk about books. Mom reads many of the books on the bestseller list, and we swap stories about other titles as well. I share some professional titles I am reading, and tell her about what I'm eager to read next. We fall easily into discussion about teaching, since she is a retired teacher, and I'm smack dab in my 20th year of teaching. Our conversations flow easily, and it helps me refocus and relax from the busy week.

I like knowing that we are continuing to build new traditions, even as we are getting older. Mom has always been an incredibly important part of my life, and now I smile about the small tradition we seem to have started in having tuna fish on Saturdays. What a seemingly insignificant detail to tie to something, but it does seem rather significant. Coming to my Mom's house and sharing conversation about life is a wonderful time for me. We are continuing to build our relationship as mother and daughter, and even though we've always been close, I know that even now, we can continue to build bonds together. So, for now, I don't need to wonder what I'll have to eat for lunch most of my Saturdays. In the foreseeable future, tuna fish sandwiches sound pretty good to me right about now.