Every moment is an opportunity to celebrate our loved ones. It is fun to look for those moments – like a treasure hunt. Find the good. Find the gold. Find the great things in every person. Heck, find it in yourself. I find that is the hardest one…to celebrate the good things in oneself. It takes practice to speak truth and beauty into our own lives, to provoke us to change, flourish and make beautiful the broken. It is my complete joy to celebrate these little ones. This week, we had a Preschool, Kindergarten, and Grade 2 graduation. A special meal of hamburger sliders, carrots and dip, and chips was prepared, and decorations were hung. The kids were all excited to be celebrated. They all expressed it differently and I have very little expectation on how they will receive their being celebrated. I know that down the road, it will become a memory etched in the heart of hearts, where they knew they were loved and honored. I had purchased little beach chairs for them to take with them for the summer months of linger. I had hoped they would be so delighted with them. One of them expressed that while they loved the chair, they had hoped to get a radio. It took them a while to warm up to the idea that THIS was their gift, but gradually, we found them lazing in the chairs and chatting up a storm with one another. Then, when they were leaving, they found out they were backpack chairs and gradually the joy of their gift settled in. What mattered was not their delight in the gift but the giving of the memory moments to their heart. I know that sometimes it takes a minute (or years) to understand the magnitude of the small moments of celebration….but they stay there and appreciation grows to wonder. I know this because my mom used to make us shape cakes. My dad was out of town much of his work career and she was raising four of us on her own most of the time. THAT WAS A LOT! She spent her moments crafting shape cakes for us to celebrate us in her own special way. Did I appreciate it then? A little. Do I appreciate it now? Without compare. It made me realize once again that I need to do things for others without expectation of their response. It is a joy to give – to celebrate others, and to express appreciation for one another. This is OUR gift. Their response may take some time to catch up. In the meantime, just enjoy the pleasure of celebrating others. This was a precious day to celebrate the achievements of these little specials in my life. They are my favorite 3, 5, and 7 year olds in the whole world. I tell them every Friday night when I tuck them in and we pray and snuggle. That is also a sweet celebration.
The Hospitality Project 