The other night I was watching an episode of "Blue Bloods" on TV and it made me think about how food can connect and preserve our family legacies even generations later. If you're not familiar with the show, a well-known family in New York is comprised of multiple law enforcement agency family members-- one is a District Attorney, one is a Police Commissioner, one is retired law enforcement, while one is a Detective and the other is a Police Officer. The show reflects the importance of family bonds even though disagreements and jurisdictions often cause conflict in the show. No matter their disagreements on situations, they always keep their family Sunday dinners as a tradition however. They gather at the table and through home cooking, they put family first before their jobs that sometimes make them clash.

And it got me thinking how we all stay connected to loved ones through food and stories. In the show, the mother and grandmother passed away and sadly cannot join in on the Sunday family dinner tradition anymore-- but that doesn't mean the family still doesn't honor them or talk about them at the table. They also still make old recipes and share memories of when the two family members were still alive.

We all tend to do this too. We share recipes that have been passed down a few generations, talk about those in the family who have already passed on, and keep their memory alive while eating the very dishes they were once there to help create.

Food is a staple in keeping loved ones memories alive. They keep us connected to one another. Food tells stories and always has a way of bringing smiles to everyone's faces.

Reflekta helps with keeping us connected to our loved ones. A book that was written by two of the many great minds working at Reflekta, Miles Spencer & Wells Jones, titled 'Havana Famiglia,' shares the intergenerational bond food can give families while also preserving legacies. The great minds at Reflekta didn't just start a company to help keep connections to loved ones alive-- but they also created a book that shows how legacies can pass on to the next generation by ways of cooking and bringing the family and past memories together (and they kindly shared some of these delicious recipes with readers!).

If your family doesn't have a legacy- type tradition yet, why not start a Sunday family dinner tradition at your house? Where no matter what is going on, Sundays are always reserved for at least one family meal at the table. Or create a master family recipe book that can be passed down for future generations where new recipes can be added? It's never too late to start a family tradition.

Whether you want to follow in the Reagan family's footsteps from the "Blue Bloods" show, or learn more about Reflekta by checking out how they help families preserve legacies, or check out the upcoming historical fiction bestselling novel release of 'Havana Famiglia' from Reflekta's authors Miles Spencer & Wells Jones -- find the way that works best for you and your family to keep legacies and traditions alive. And don't forget the important bond that food and stories can provide.