Celebrating You
A Reflection by Rita Peterson
Every milestone was a cause for celebration when I was growing up. Of course, birthdays were a time to celebrate with a party, a visit from the grandmothers, cards, beautiful cakes, gifts, and dancing. My mother acknowledged all birthdays, especially her own. After I moved to another part of the country, I made sure to faithfully travel back to the Midwest every July to celebrate the occasion. In return, hers was always the first card I received when I celebrated another year of life.
For the family I grew up in, just about everything joyful meant a big celebration. Later, I made sure that I celebrated my children's birthdays, graduations, sports, academic honors, weddings, and accomplishments. There was a time when everyone's birthday was a significant event for me, and I made sure to send cards or make phone calls. I remember when my son won his first sports competition. We celebrated with a special family gathering and dinner. These celebration moments brought us closer and instilled a sense of achievement and joy.
In the past, the one person I failed to celebrate was myself. I used to downplay my birthday. Since it comes right after Christmas, I assumed no one wanted to know about it or celebrate. Throwing myself a party or announcing my accomplishments has always been uncomfortable. And when I focus on my aging rather than on the fact that God has given me another beautiful year of life, it is even more difficult. In the past, I noticed how I tended to run from one accomplishment to another without pausing to celebrate what I had done. When I retired from my career after 36 years, it was only because my manager decided to throw a surprise party for me that I was able to show up and celebrate.
Not long ago, I read something that changed my attitude toward celebrations. In his book, The Making of an Ordinary Saint: My Journey From Frustration to Joy with the Spiritual Disciplines, Quaker author Nathan Foster refers to celebration as a corporate discipline. Celebration is the final discipline he covers in his book because it "comes to us as a result of all the spiritual disciplines having done their work in our lives." Admittedly, I was surprised that Foster listed celebration as a "discipline." He says, "Celebration becomes possible when the substance of our life is formed and conformed with and transformed into Christlikeness." [1] After reading this the first time, I realized I needed to listen to God's invitation to grow in this discipline. Now, I am learning to celebrate joy - not just the joy of my loved ones, but my own. We all yearn for joy, and living another year as a child of God is a blessing worth celebrating. As Joan Chittister says so beautifully in The Breath of a Soul: Reflections on Prayer, "Every aspect of life, its triumphs and tribulations, is a cause for celebration because each brings us closer to wisdom and a deeper understanding." [2] Embracing joy and celebrating it is a testament to our love and faith in the creation of the Almighty. Accepting and celebrating feelings of happiness, laughter, and joy is a path that leads us closer to the Divine.
Celebrations are not only for special occasions. The Spirit laughs with us as we learn to celebrate joy in all creation and life. As Joyce Rupp says in May I Have This Dance, “We need to celebrate life’s moments as they come, enjoy with reverence the beauty of each day in the universe, live more simply and freely because we know that each moment is part of an eternal process of becoming who we are.” [3] We show our trust and love in God when we celebrate the blessings of life.
In The Breath of the Soul: Reflections on Prayer, Joan Chittister reminds us that "when we celebrate the good things in life, we trace them to the Creator who gives without merit, openhandedly, out of the very goodness of community, love, and support that are by nature at the base of the human condition." [4] Celebrations of birthdays, holidays, accomplishments, anniversaries, and graduations bring us into community with others. They connect us with family and friends and with the Creator.
Celebrating all that is good brings me closer to the Creator. I will laugh, sing, play, and dance with God. I will give my family and community healing, delight, happiness, and laughter. I will sing, dance, chant, and laugh at the joys of life. I will take that piece of cake on my next birthday and be grateful to the One who provides this goodness to me.
How do you celebrate and how comfortable are you celebrating yourself?
[1] Nathan Foster, The Making of an Ordinary Saint: My Journey From Frustration to Joy with the Spiritual Disciplines (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2014), 179 Kindle edition.
[2] Joan Chittister, The Breath of a Soul: Reflections on Prayer (New London, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 2009), 60.
[3] Joyce Rupp, May I Have This Dance (Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 1992), 161.
[4] Joan Chittister, The Breath of a Soul: Reflections on Prayer (New London, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 2009), 61.
Rita Peterson
Rita is a Closed Sacred Circle Facilitator for Retreat, Reflect, Renew.