Someone once commented that the holiday season for me started opening day of the big game season, (which is the weekend before Thanksgiving), and ended with the Superbowl. I was raised a hunter/ fisherman, something that some of you may find distasteful, but I make no apologies. Being in the woods to watch the sunrise outshines the grandest cathedral. My mother always says, “that you don’t have to be in a church or a temple to connect with God”, and the woods are my temple.
My father taught his children not only respect for the guns we carry into the woods, but for the animals that we are hunting. When I was in college and Law School, venison sustained me. However, it is not only the spirituality of being in the woods and the venison meat that keep me hunting. It is the passing on of a tradition to my sons and my nephews and nieces and the bonding that it brings, that is soul nourishing.
This year, my brother and brother-in-law flew up from Florida. I also had five nephews; my three sons and a high school buddy with us. The hunt was safe and a success, and everybody left with not only meat but with deeper connection of knowing that you are bonding with a tradition that crosses generations.
In 2016, I implore every one of you to take a moment and to either continue a tradition that you used to do, or make a new tradition with your family members. It doesn’t matter if it is making Christmas cookies; or tomato sauce, or going fishing. Take some time away from the television and continue or start that tradition for the next generation.
Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanza, and a happy and healthy new year to you and your families,
Keith J. Ahlers
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