Looking For Reasons To Celebrate

What I have noticed about folks is that there seems to be 2 camps when it comes to throwing parties. You either throw parties often and enjoy doing it, or you really resist throwing parties and don’t do it very often, if at all. And then there is maybe a 3rd camp: those that enjoy coming to the party but not throwing it.

I think the term “throwing a party” is kind of humorous. How in the world do you 'throw a party'?  Amelia Bedelia would be confused.

I have always been good at the preparation of events and parties. It's one of the ways God wired me: to notice the details and pay attention to planning.

 But even ahead of planning the celebration, one must first take notice of a reason to celebrate.

I would like to even propose that perhaps we don’t even need a logical reason to celebrate.
 This idea, of course, messes with my little logical-minded brain, and so I actively stick to looking for the reason why.

Looking for reasons to celebrate helps train our brains to be more thankful. How can it not?
You know, I actively keep a list that is dated in my notes app of the things that stood out to me during my days. Where I was wowed by God’s goodness, whether it was subtle or loud. It doesn’t matter; all the goodies God sends our way is worth recording, is it not?

This year, not just one, but two of our children are graduating high school. They both worked hard and passed their GED exam this last Fall and Winter. I sure am proud of them. That's hard work. One is right on time, and the other is early. 12-plus years of schooling deserves a little celebration!

But I am going a little further: I am giving myself a graduation party. I have been a conductor of sorts for the last 20 years—of 4 kids in total, in homeschool and raising goodhearted humans. And that season is now closing for me. A new one is opening, and while I am so thrilled to be done with this last season, the new one I am coming into feels a little daunting. Change is never easy for my type of person. Maybe I can start a trend for parents everywhere: “You deserve a party too!”

I actively look for ways to celebrate, even though it might just be tiny things. For a while, I was dragging home some sort of goodie all the time and telling the kids why it was there. “Well, your dad got a good contract for the next 6 months, your sister landed a new job, we started a new show, your brother got promoted!” The world is our oyster when it comes to finding reasons to celebrate.

Celebrations are important to the morale of our lives. They bring remembrance and gratefulness, and finality to chapters closing and new ones opening. They are meant to be a happy gathering where we are free to share with each other the sweet feelings of accomplishment from places of hard work and focus and achievements.

But don’t think you have to put blood, sweat, and tears into preparation every time. Maybe all we need is a stop in at a coffee shop (tell the barista why you’re here today), a new flower for the garden (tell the cashier why you’re buying), a pair of shoes we have been wanting (tell the salesman about it), or to just write it down for documentation purposes.

Testimony spreads new faith around. Tell each other about the goodness of God and how it has affected you this week.

There is always a reason to celebrate. And when logic gets in the way, celebrate anyway.

~ Prudence