Tag Archives: celebrate

to celebrate or not to celebrate

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Photo credit: Theresa Thompson / Foter / CC BY

Photo credit: Theresa Thompson / Foter / CC BY

This past week I celebrated my birthday!

Years ago, I had no desire to advertise that fact. It wasn’t that I wanted to hide my age; I just have never been one who enjoys all the focused attention that a birthday entails. I am not fond of birthday parties for myself (although there have been a few exceptions), and I definitely do not like surprise birthday parties. (It probably has something to do with wanting control. That should be fairly obvious if you have read a few of my posts! 🙂 )

Despite that historical background, I have changed my tune when it comes to birthday celebrations. I’m sure my years living in Mexico had something to do with my new attitude. In Mexico, there is always a good reason to have a party! Celebration is an important part of life. Birthdays, especially, get lots of attention… hugs, phone calls, words of affirmation, songs, gifts, cakes, piñatas, meals out, parties… it’s all good! In church settings, the birthday celebrator often stands up front during the service and gives thanks to God for the gift of another year of life.

That tradition touched my heart.

At my age, now 54, I have had to say good-bye to too many friends – many who were younger even than me. I am well aware that not everyone gets to celebrate 54 years of life. I am blessed. I do not want to take that for granted.

Instead of ignoring the accomplishment, I want to be thankful.

So… parties still are not my favorite means of celebration, but I do like to spend quality time with people I love; I really enjoy hearing from family and friends; and I love to do something special or go somewhere fun to intentionally recognize the milestone and express my gratitude. (This year it was a day at Hollywood Studios with my wonderful husband!)

Birthdays have become a very worthy celebration for me.

How do you feel about celebrating your birthday? What are some special things that you do to recognize the day?

YAY! It’s International Coffee Day!

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black coffee

Photo credit: chichacha / Foter / CC BY

How I would love to sit in a cozy café and celebrate this day face-to-face with you! We could share fun stories, life struggles, and work at solving all the world’s problems. We could talk about what we are learning, how we are leading, and how we are growing and changing through our experiences and community influences.

… and we could talk about International Coffee Day!!

Many of us are enamored with coffee! (I hope you tea and juice drinkers will bear with me today!) We drink coffee in the morning to come alert; in the afternoon to keep momentum going through the day, and into the evening as dessert after a great meal. We drink coffee with family, with dear friends, with fellow students, colleagues and clients, and with new acquaintances to “break the ice”.  Coffee brings comfort, memories, and energy to life!

iced coffee

Photo: isriya: Foter / CC BY-NC

We savor our coffee in all kinds of ways: espresso, americanos, lattes or cappuccinos; iced, decaf, instant, filter, and pressed; with and without additional flavorings and syrups, sugars, sweeteners, and creamers.

I began my coffee addiction habit with the strong aroma of percolating coffee daily announcing to me that morning had arrived in my childhood home. In college, I began to drink huge classes of iced, heavily and artificially sweetened coffee as I studied long into the night. I sacrificially cut back to decaf during my pregnancy and nursing years, but today I drink it black and bold and all day long.

International Coffee Day celebrates the long history of this awesome drink. Historians believe the properties of coffee beans were first discovered in Ethiopia. Coffee beans are actually the pits of the berry grown on the coffee plant. Tradition claims a 9th century goat herder noticed their stimulating effects on his goats and began experimenting. Coffee became popular in the Arab world around the 15th century, then spread to Asia, then to Italy, across Europe, finally arriving to the Americas.

Countries that celebrate International Coffee Day on September 29th include: Australia, Canada, England, Ethiopia, Hungary, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the United States.

Where are you drinking your coffee today?  How do you like your coffee?

celebrate life

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mom bdayHave you ever wanted to ignore a birthday? Or downplay the attention to yourself? Ever wanted to go into denial about getting older? I have. For a good number of years, I would have just skipped over my birthday without any fan fare at all.

I think differently now. I have come to realize that not many people get to celebrate as many birthdays as I have. I have known too many young people who had too few years on this earth. I have cried too many tears and questioned too often “why????” when a life was cut short.

When I was younger, I didn’t think much about death. I felt invincible, and life was full of promise and opportunities. Today, I am much more aware of the fraility and brevity of life. I long for more time with my mom who has terminal cancer, and I grieve the empty places in my life where other loved ones once lived.

flowersSo… I am learning to celebrate more! Each year – each day – is worthy of a celebration. Not to put more focus on the person, but to express gratitude and understanding of the value of life. I do not want to waste the opportunity to make a memory with my family or cherish time with a friend or enjoy the little special treats that life brings to me (like the cheerful flowers my awesome husband brought in now – just because…).

I may not have that opportunity tomorrow… but I have it today!

My mom just celebrated another birthday. I am so very grateful for that special day and for each additional day of life she can enjoy. Her life is a continual reminder to me to live each day to the fullest… and to celebrate life!

How do you feel about birthdays? How do you celebrate life?