Celebrate Today- ceremonies and celebrations to make your days count

ebenezer stones  Last night for Memorial Day, we had some friends coming over for dinner, and as I was setting the table with some red, white and blue placemats to be festive, I thought it would be meaningful to mark this day with Ebenezer stones.   It seemed like the perfect project to pull out to take some time to reflect and remember the ways over the past year that God has been faithful and has helped us. I Samuel 7:12 says, “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah, and named it Ebenezer; for he said, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”   Samuel was erecting a stone to remember God’s help, blessings and faithfulness after a difficult time of trial and hardship.  The word Ebenezer simply means “stone of help.”  We had a bowl of rocks and a cup filled with Sharpie markers on the table, and at first our guests thought this was a curious table decoration.  I explained to them during dessert that each person ar...

Pentecost Sunday is today. One of my favorite traditions for this day is in Knoxville at Church of the Ascension where they call this day "Balloon Sunday." This picture below is from the time we got to be there a few years ago to see the joyful decor.  Balloons represent birthdays, and Pentecost is the birthday of the church. The balloons also remind us of the gift of the Holy Spirit that we celebrate on Pentecost Sunday. 2012 balloons  our friend Jud at the Church of the Ascension with his boys in 2013 balloons we have tied to our door in Seattle to celebrate in our own way for Balloon Sunday  a timeless poem below that is definitely worth the read (or re-read if you know it!) in honor of Balloon Sunday:  BALLOONS BELONG IN CHURCH by Ann Weems I took to church one morning a happy four-year-old boy Holding a bright blue string to which was attached  his much loved orange balloon with pink stripes... ...

"These are our few life seasons.  Let us live them as purely as we can, in the present."  –Annie Dillard With news from a colleague that her husband has cancer and tragic events that pop up on the news each day, it seems only right to embrace the moments that we can indeed celebrate and give thanks.  So, with joy this morning, I got out the birthday banners and printed off a few "1/2" signs to deck the kitchen with some cheer for Anna's half birthday.   Thirteen "1/2" notes going down the stairs...  (this is Anna's 13th HALF birthday!)  a hot chocolate croissant to start the day (Thanks Trader Joe's!)  out of all the choices, she chose the crown.  That's my girl! :)