Celebration People who regularly celebrate victories in their lives, or the achievement in the lives of others, or milestones of organizations which are important to them, are happy people. To celebrate is to be intentional about expressing gratitude. For example, to celebrate a birthday is to take time to say to someone, “You are special, and we are glad you are alive and with us.” To celebrate a national holiday is to take time and remember that the country you enjoy living in has a history that you benefit from. Celebrations normally are associated with organized parties, special food, and if you live in Wyoming, fireworks.
However, tonight I am alone having a very quiet celebration. My celebration has no special food or fireworks, but rather it is a prayer of gratitude as I remember the victories and gifts I have received the last two weeks.
Celebration of Achievement
Over the last two weeks I have pulled a 30-foot trailer 1,400 miles over Colorado mountain passes, into Los Angeles traffic and through some
very tight construction zones. I have backed the trailer into some tight spots (believe me, this isn’t easy), I have used a checklist to hook up the trailer and successfully set the trailer up at the end of each travel day. Of course, there are thousands of these trailers on the road and many people would think this is no big deal, but I am new at this and for me it is a big deal, and I am celebrating.
I am also celebrating my ability to fix a few things that have broken on the trailer. The hinges on a storage unit were bent and the lift assist was not working. I was able to repair the hinges and reinstall the lift assist, so that now the door functions properly. (I didn’t even know what a life assist was when I started the repair, and for many this might have seemed easy, but for me it was a great victory.)
There is an interior door on the trailer where the guides came loose and the screws holding the door fell out. As a result, the door would not function. I disassembled the door and door frame, reinforced the guides, and reassembled the door, and it now functions properly. Once again, for some this would have been easy, but I am a pastor/teacher; for me this was a great victory.
Celebration of Relationships
Last week our son was married on a beach in Southern California at sunset, and we celebrated with him, his bride, and her family as they said their vows. It wasn’t just the wedding on the beach that we celebrated. We celebrated the day before when our son took us out on the ocean in his sail boat and we had dinner together. We celebrated after the wedding with a very nice dinner, and then the next day another celebration on his boat with paddle boards and ice cream. It was a three day celebration!
For the last several days we have been in Chico, California visiting friends we have not seen in years, and I am celebrating the gift of long-lasting friendship. In addition to seeing friends in Chico, this morning I wrote over 25 emails to friends that we hope to see in Phoenix when we are there next month. With each email I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to have so many good friends who we want to see.
Celebration of Life
I am also celebrating life. Every day I celebrate the woman I have been married to for forty-eight years. I love traveling with her, talking with her, and listening to books with her. I am also reminded that eight months ago she was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and I could have lost her. I don’t want one day to pass when I do not celebrate who she is and what a gift she is to me.
Willy Nelson at the hospital
I am also celebrating the life of my dogs, Willy Nelson and Waylon Jennings. This week Willy Nelson, only seven years old, got very sick. For six days he showed no interest in any food and would not eat. We spent hours at two veterinary hospitals, one in Oceanside, California and one in Chico, California. They ran a series of tests to determine the cause of his sickness and could find nothing definitive, but they suspected that the underlying cause could take his life. I thought I was going to lose him.
However, on day seven he began to eat a little bit and, by day eight, he was back to trying to steal food off the table or out of our hand if we were not paying attention. I am so relieved, and tonight I am celebrating that I have the privilege of taking care of these creatures.
I am also celebrating my own life. I am 67 now, which doesn’t seem that old to me. However, I remember when I thought, not that long ago, that forty was really old. For the last several years Airmen have referred to me as “elderly,” so I want to remind myself that my own health and life is a gift to be celebrated.
It is 3 a.m. as I write this blog. It is quiet and dark outside, and quiet in the trailer. Debbie, Willy Nelson, and Waylon are all asleep, but the celebration in my heart is real. In my heart there are fireworks, music, and dancing as I celebrate.
I pray that you will celebrate the good things in your life. Maybe by organizing a party with friends, maybe quietly in your heart, but I pray you will be intentional about expressing joy for the good gifts which are part of your life.
