Celebrate Today- ceremonies and celebrations to make your days count

This morning, I got up and rifled through my box of streamers and balloons to find all the red ones I could. I taped them up on our kitchen doorpost to greet the day.  When Jason and Taylor came down the stairs, they asked, "What are these for?"  I reminded them that it was Pentecost (and also that it was Balloon Sunday that we celebrated back in Tennessee at several Episcopal churches that made the day extra festive with balloons all over the church.)   I saw this boy walking out of the Lutheran church down the street from us and I am pretty sure these balloons were for their Pentecost service. I loved following him down the block on this gray rainy morning.     In many liturgical settings, the color red is designated for Pentecost to signify the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The banners above are hung at our church every year on this day and are so vibrant.  passages we read in our small group today about the Holy Spirit:...

May the 4th has been a fun day to celebrate Star Wars for our family for a few years.  Recently it  seems that schools around here have picked up the tradition too for a spirit day.  Though it took a bit of work on Anna's part early this morning, she was able to get her hair up in cinnamon buns for the day to be festive. A bit of history below from  http://www.starwars.com/may-the-4th : WHY IS MAY THE 4TH CALLED STAR WARS DAY?// Say “May the 4th Be With You” out loud and you’ll hear the pun that  Star Wars  fans worldwide have turned into a rallying cry to proclaim their love of the saga. It’s the worldwide day to say “May the Force be with you” to all, and celebrate the beloved  Star Wars  story that binds our galaxy together. One of the earliest known records of “May the 4th” used in popular culture is in 1979, as described here by author Alan Arnold while he was chronicling the making of  The Empire Strikes Back  for...

With friends staying with us this weekend, it slipped my mind that today was May Day.  We usually scheme and create little May Day cones of flowers to deliver to neighbors today, but I totally forgot today.  That's why it's pretty great to know that sometimes other can carry on celebrations and help us mark traditions throughout the year when we drop the ball. Thankful for the sweet college girls at the house down the street  for delivering this May Day flower to us!