Embracing Nature Over Ancestral Traditions
What traditions have you not kept that your parents had?
Throughout generations, family traditions often weave a rich tapestry of beliefs and customs that are passed down to ensure cultural continuity. However, in some instances, individuals might find a different path that resonates more profoundly with their spirit. Such is my story, a tale of finding solace in nature over ancestral beliefs.
My father was a devout follower of Buddhism, a faith that traces its roots back to India. Despite the profound teachings and morals of Buddhism, I’ve never felt deeply connected to them. It’s not that I disregard the tenets of Buddhism; it’s just that my heart finds more resonance elsewhere.
In Japan, where my heritage lies, Shintoism, a religion deeply entwined with the land, reigns predominant. Frequenting Shinto shrines is a practice I’ve held close to my heart. The shrines often house “sacred trees” or “Goshinboku,” which are believed to guard the land. The reverence for nature found in Shintoism aligns closely with my beliefs. However, it’s worth noting that I don’t live in Japan and, as such, don’t strictly adhere to Shinto practices.
In essence, my true faith lies in the wonders of nature – the forest, the moon, the sun. There’s an unmatched serenity when I’m enveloped by the woods; each camping trip refreshes my soul, and climbing mountains feels like an organic pilgrimage, offering lessons in resilience, reflection, and self-discovery. Whenever life’s troubles weigh heavily on me, I find counsel amidst the trees and mountains. And much like how children feel rejuvenated watching the vast expanse of the ocean, I too draw strength and peace from nature’s embrace.
While I respect the religious beliefs that my parents upheld, I’ve carved out a spiritual path that diverges from theirs. It’s crucial to understand that everyone’s journey of faith is unique, and it’s essential to respect and cherish that individuality.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
If we are talking traditions I no longer have, that my parents did…
It would be big family get togethers … all holidays and birthdays when able
We would always take a BIG family vacation, once a year … to Sanibel Island, Florida …
My grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins ❤️
Most of my people have passed away so I do not have that tradition anymore ☹️
Every Friday is family night … so my own kids come over and we be a family … we just aren’t big
I also do not go as crazy with holiday decorating as my parents did lol … someone’s gotta take that all down lol
Religion wise – I’m catholic … but MY way… I don’t go to church, don’t do organized religion
I have the things I believe in from my upbringing and experiences
I still have saints I pray to and still have a rosary 📿
But I don’t go to church like they did
I do have crosses and angels in my house … I have one cross over my bedroom door… and quite a few angels around ❤️
I have an Angel in my kitchen and some beautiful glass Irish angels holding shamrocks
I have a lot of Irish sayings or iron shamrock things
My great grandmother used to have a statue of the Virgin Mary in the backyard and every morning would go to her feet and say rosary
I do not do that lol 😄✌️
I keep little pieces that I love ❤️ or that mean a lot to me.
Since they are no longer here – my traditions kinda move along with the times and what life presents …
I also create a lot of NEW traditions they didn’t have – or with a mix of what they had and I interpret lol ✌️😘
Indeed, customs change over time, and when one relocates, it becomes harder to participate in family events. 😅
However, I personally would love to visit Sanibel Island in Florida. It’s a place your family goes to every year, after all. I looked it up on Google maps. It’s a beautiful and pleasant place with a perpetual summer vibe. I think it’s an ideal vacation spot. 🏖️
I was also surprised to see a bridge connecting it to Florida.🌉
Religion is personal, and it’s good that everyone has their unique beliefs. I also think that with time, these beliefs and perspectives evolve.💝
Having many angels in your home sounds delightful.👼
I sincerely appreciate your warm comments. I’m deeply moved that you understand and respect my feelings and experiences related to family and traditions.🫶
Knowing that there are people who can relate to this journey of embracing traditions while creating something new is truly motivating. Thank you.🙏
Lol… yes it is harder for family events …
I’m in Cali, my brother is in Texas, and my sister is in Maine 😮
Lol we just spread way the F out – all diff time zones lol – same country at least lol
And sometimes not a bad thing – cherish completely when you see … love to see, hate to leave
Sanibel is gorgeous – but I haven’t been in a long time ☹️…
It IS ideal vacation spot ❤️❤️
In hurricane 🌀 season sometimes you can get stuck on that island and the bridge washes out… it’s crazy – that has happened to us … I have photos and videos lol … I was about 9… my dad video taped me outside in a hurricane pretending to be a weather girl 😄😄 while the wind and rain were whipping my hair lol … it’s embarrassing and also funny lol … and I was a skinny bean pole kid… so all bones… holding my 1year old sister who was like a Butterball Turkey lol … ahhh fun times ❤️
And Florida has THE BEST STORMS ❤️ … out of all states – yes they have the BEST storms ❤️
Yes agree with what say on religion
It’s interesting to learn about other people, places and cultures …
I think traditions play a big part for people ?? Sometimes because that is how raised and have always done… sometimes because you miss the past with those traditions, sometimes is keeping a memory alive and sometimes accidentally create own tradition lol … or maybe even take on another’s traditions
And family ❤️… well that part is very important … but I have also created my own family (who is not same blood) since I lost my own.
One of my “family” is a woman who is Japanese … but she is from Hawaii – not Japan … her father was Japanese
She is very hilarious and strong woman ❤️ also quirky 😄❤️ she has some interesting traditions some are cultural, some are location based, some are memory based, and some just happen lol
But she is very into her traditions ❤️ she’s very loyal to them
I work with many cultures – so you respect all and enjoy life and the uniqueness of each other ❤️👏
We all enjoy life together 😊❤️ I created another family when I lost most of my own
And you never know what you can learn from another person 🙌
I haven’t experienced a hurricane🌀
yet, but I have encountered typhoons.
They’re very frightening, possessing the power to take everything away.
You have someone in your family who has a Japanese father from Hawaii, right? Hawaii probably has Polynesian traditions as well, along with Japanese and American customs.
This might make her naturally adaptable to accepting various things. It’s very interesting.😊
Speaking of Hawaii, I was shocked by the recent wildfire on Maui I hope it ends soon🙏.
I think hurricanes and typhoons 🌀 are the same? Just different names classified by where is? Although typhoons are stronger due to warm water – intensity
I have never seen a typhoon … but been in many hurricanes 🌀
I like the power of Mother Nature … is incredible… the smell of the air, the look of the sky, and in the eye of it – how calm… false sense of peace – then the back end hits
I don’t like the damage and destruction, or death…
But Mother Nature and her power is like same when you see places on earth that make you feel small… the power of Mother Nature makes you respect 😮
No – her father is full Japanese from Japan… her mother is white from United States. (I don’t know what nationality her mother is – but her mother is blonde)
Only SHE grew up in Hawaii, before ending up here in California. Her mom and dad met in Hawaii
But yes ❤️ she’s very interesting – very funny and very confident, is same as me – also in the death industry … I don’t think she was confident until she came to us though – she found her peeps when she found us ❤️✌️- just like me 😊❤️ she was lost before she found us
She is very adaptable – she misses her father (he died a long time ago)
In her home, she has a shelf that is little shrine to him ❤️
She loves all things Japanese and Hawaiian 🌺
Her mom lives in Florida now and she has a step father who lives in Oregon – she visits them both
But she goes everywhere – she also has family in Massachusetts like me, she will visit there around Christmas
She visits Hawaii every year or 2 – she still has family there and she LOVES Hawaii
Her Hawaiian family… seems little mean to her? I can not tell if it’s just culture thing? Or if is because she is mixed race? She’s beautiful though!
Cute and a little spitfire 👏
When I buy her gifts … she likes pineapples and skulls 😄😄✌️
She has a step family in Oregon and she visits them constantly – they are very good to her ❤️
And she visits her mom in Florida around winter time
I know I saw that wildfire ☹️💔
People are MAD because the warning system in place did not give people ample time to escape and there has been so much death – that’s gonna be a big thing… Hawaii dropped the ball there 😮 they all over my news with the fire and lack of emergency alert 🚨
The death count is terrible and probably could have been prevented if given the warning they should have in a timely manner
A few years ago Hawaii had some false missile alert… that was 2018?
https://youtu.be/qJan6Ywjxkw
And in 2019 a false tsunami alert
Perhaps they should get a better alert system 😮 it alerts when not supposed to and when needed – doesn’t alert 😮
They claim the fire moved too fast for the alerts – and I have seen our California wildfires go really fast!! We have lost entire towns – Paradise, California was completely burned – no more town and many lost their lives
So I know fast fires 🔥 …but what is wrong with their alert system??!!! They in trouble again
https://youtu.be/9mk97lnueFw
I hear Hawaiian electric has eyes on them for possibly having something to do with the fire
My electric company, I consider murders and they get away with it…
For years they start fires and people die, they get sued and pass that along to customers and no one ever punishes them – but welcome to California and big untouchable corporations 🙄
Hopefully same is not for Hawaii ☹️💔
Bad bad bad situation! American eyes on Hawaii at moment
It’s interesting how hurricanes and typhoons are called different names based on the region.
I’ve seen videos of hurricanes, and I was amazed at how they engulf everything in their path, showcasing the sheer power of nature.
In Japan, we experience dozens of typhoons each year, so we’re used to preparing for them.
They’re especially common during this time of the year.
As a child, I used to be happy when schools were closed because of them, but as an adult, I remember having to stay indoors and not being able to do what I wanted.
The eye of the typhoon🌀 is a fascinating phenomenon.
It’s eerily calm and always surprises me.
Your friend from Hawaii seems very active. I’d love to visit at least once a year.
It’s unfortunate about the alert issues. It’s heartbreaking to think that many could have evacuated but were caught in the fires🥹.
Canada is also seeing an increase in people affected by wildfires. It makes me realize the terrifying power of nature.
Right now, Vancouver is covered in a smoky haze, and it’s a bit chilly😵.
I hope things get back to normal soon🙏.
On the east coast, we are used to them too… especially coming off the Gulf of Mexico but also that eastern seaboard gets a lot of hurricanes
But not the west coast – is sooo rare for west coast cause the waters are colder – but with all the crazy weather and hotness ?? Maybe that changed the circumstances to allow hurricane?
Yes they are common on east coast up through November which ends the season of hurricanes … then starts back up in March I think?
In Florida, we would get school off too if was gonna be bad.
I LOVED being in hurricanes – I love using candles for light ❤️… I love losing electricity and the excitement – also the survival
And my dad would take me out in hurricanes – he loved nature and wanted me to see the power ❤️ feel the power – understand the power ❤️✌️
I love the smell of the hurricane, the look, the sky, the power
I don’t like the destruction or death but it is quite something
Yes!! The eye is very eerily calm!! That is the perfect word for it!
It is rather strange that depending on region – they called something different
Yours might be little more fierce ??
Yes she’s very active lol ❤️ she is fun – her favorite things are pineapples, owls 🦉 and skulls 💀 😄✌️
I told you we are quirky lol✌️😘
I myself, wanted to buy myself salad forks 🍴 that looked like skeleton arms lol… my daughter said that was creepy so I did not get them 😄
But every time I see salad forks – I think of them 😄 (the big ones when you share a salad 🥗 )
Yes – unnecessary death ☹️… preventable!
Yes… those fires scare me, and they choke you 😮
Sometimes when we get fires … we get surrounded … and the smoke chokes you and it rains ash, which looks like snow 😮
Makes me think of Pompeii and Herculaneum – because I have watched numerous documentaries on them lol ✌️- the raining ash reminds me of that
Plus it looks like Armageddon dirty orange sky – the sun ☀️ it looks so weird
My area is currently fine, no fires at moment – we have nice decent temp… but sky is darkening like edge of storm just weird clouds moving in
And So Cal just had a 5.0 magnitude quake right before their hit 😮 Ventura County?
The power of Mother Nature 😮😮
It seems there was an earthquake in California. Are you okay? I’m sure you are, but hurricanes are scary and earthquakes are even scarier. In my home country of Japan, earthquakes are feared more than typhoons. You can prepare for typhoons, but earthquakes come suddenly. And near the coast, tsunamis occur. The earthquake in 2011 caused many deaths due to tsunamis. Since then, high breakwaters have been built along the coasts in Japan.
Though it’s unfortunate that large walls have been built in terms of appearance, they serve as a fortress against tsunamis.
I recently saw an Armageddon-like orange sky in Vancouver as well. Every time there’s a wildfire, the sky turns orange. It’s eerie.
We really can’t compete with the power of nature. 😨
That was during the hurricane 🌀… and down in Southern California – as far as I am aware
I just looked at usgs.com (United States Geological Survey) … and I do not believe we had earthquakes today?
Although we quake everyday… but usually not enough to feel
I remember 2011 😢💔 that was heartbreaking to watch people go through
And I remember those nuclear plants and I was so scared not only for the people of Japan – but I was terrified for the workers who worked so hard to keep it stable ❤️
That was awful to watch 💔
When you say tsunami I instantly remember 2004 😮😮 … I had never seen or knew about before 😮😮😮
Walls hmm 🤔 …does it work?
I just googled and read and I guess it does stop you from seeing the beautiful ocean … but if provides safety or even extra moments … I would say worth it… especially if the area is prone to that
Yes the Armageddon sky is VERY eerie lol
No – the power of Mother Nature is not something to mess with 😮
I sent reply but has links and not sure if went through?
Yes, I received your comment. Thank you😊. However, it seems that I cannot view this particular link https://youtu.be/qJan6Ywjxkw from my location.
A few years ago their alert system told everyone a missile was headed straight for Hawaii and that was not a drill 🤨 panic’ed EVeRyOnE!!!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Hawaii_false_missile_alert
It was false … good but gave everyone panic
Good that he resign
It’s definitely panic-inducing. When it’s broadcasted on all media and says it’s not a drill, that’s frightening. However, I’m glad it was a false alarm. 🤔
However, given this background, it’s strange that the alert system didn’t go off this time. ☹️
Yeah!!!! The missile mistake was terrifying – anything involving a missile like that, would be terrifying!
I have been told (so is hear say – not sure if on news – I don’t watch news often and pick and choose what news to see ) but they said that the guy running it has resigned … they said that he made excuse after excuse and all different excuses why he didn’t sound the alarm … last one being that because some were broken and what use would it be 😮😮😮
But again is hear say – so maybe check on this information – also that is info from whatever day that was big news 📰
Could be different info now??
Between that and hurricanes and earthquakes ….and I dunno how many things happen 😮 …so much stuff !!