Greetings and Happy New Year,

   In this message I hope to encourage you to celebrate rituals with your family. Family rituals are distinctive, recurring events that allow us to share joy and show appreciation for the blessings in our lives. Rituals are beneficial because they can help us to deal with change and loss. Rituals can also bring about emotional healing and pass on values from generation to generation.

   During the coming year, my family will observe traditional holidays as well as several other days that some people may consider “out of the ordinary.” We have created our own rituals in honor of the occasions that we choose to celebrate.

   Our favorite adoption ritual involves using a candelabrum with three branches and three candles. Each candle has a unique significance. The center candle represents the child. We light the center candle first and declare the reason for our celebration. The other candles represent the child's birth family and adoptive family. When we light these candles, we acknowledge the worthiness of both families in relationship to the child. Lighting the candelabrum has become an Alden family ritual on Birthdays, Gotcha days and Adoption days.

   Foster and adoptive families can use rituals to bring family members closer together and strengthen family bonds. They are opportunities to share special moments while reducing the stresses of everyday life. During ritual celebrations, our children are exposed to family harmony, mutual comfort, and love.  Each member feels affirmed and secure as an individual who is part of a unique group known as their "family."

Warm Regards, Theresa M. Alden