Changing Lives Issue #10
It's even more important to celebrate the good stuff in the midst of bad times
Part of me feels guilty even typing the word “celebrate” days after a horrific school shooting in my state which killed 19 kids and 2 teachers and traumatized countless others. However, the truth is that we all have to live in a world where bad things happen, accept what we cannot change, and work to change what we can.
One thing we can change is our mindset. What we choose to focus on makes a huge difference in how we feel, which in turn affects what we are able to do to bring about the changes we want in our own lives and the world.
Yesterday my husband Steve and I celebrated our 31st anniversary. I spent part of the day in tears, overwhelmed by the shooting, other tragic world events, and my personal financial and health issues.
Despite that, I wanted to celebrate our anniversary. I pulled myself together and we went out to dinner for the first time since my birthday last November. We enjoyed getting out of the house and just being together. We looked at the digital cards we had created for each other and laughed when we discovered we had both used the same photo from our wedding.
My niece Audrey also graduated from high school yesterday. She lives in another state, so I wasn’t at the ceremony, but she and other family members shared photos of the happy event.
My nephew Elliott’s basketball team, coached by his dad (my brother Jeff), won their championship game yesterday too.
These events reminded me that even now there are moments of joy and reasons to celebrate.
What good things are happening in your life or the life of someone you love? How are you celebrating them? Please share an accomplishment you are proud of or a joyous event in the comments so we can all celebrate together!
Last week marked my 70th birthday - an event that I struggled with. How could I be this "elderly" when my mind feels barely 50? Still, my body and mirror tell the truth, and while I tried to be philosophical about it and grateful, underneath there was this whisper that asked,"have all these years meant anything?" - and "what will the future hold?"
All that changed on Sunday, when 70 family members and friends surprised me with a party, organized by my hubby and granddaughters, with help from our children and their spouses. My heart sang as person after person offered hugs and words of love and I saw the beautiful arrangements that shouted a message of love in the "acts of service" language. It culminated with a beautiful song - a "cover" of my favourite Andrew Peterson song, Dancing in the Minefields" with words my granddaughters had written for me and performed by three of the grands.
The celebration turned my "mourning into joy -beauty from ashes" - exactly what the best of celebrations do.