Everyday is a celebration! Seriously, every day!

In an earlier blog I wrote about October being Clergy Appreciation Month, but did you know that it is also: Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, American Pharmacist Month, Apple Jack Month, Awareness Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Computer Learning Month, Cookie Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Eat Country Ham Month, International Drum Month, and Lupus Awareness Month. It is also: National Diabetes Month, National Pizza Month, National Vegetarian Month, National Popcorn Popping Month, Sarcastic Month, and Seafood Month. (I see some conflicts in these designations!)

Each week of the month also has its special celebration. The 1st week of the month was "Get Organized Week". This one flew right by me, but I plan on working on it as soon as I can find my calendar. It was also "Customer Service Week" - a lot of other people I know let this one slide right by them. The 2nd week of the month we saw celebrations of "Fire Prevention Week" and "Pet Peeve Week". Seems to me these are more like year-round designated activities. Finally, during the 3rd week we saw "Pastoral Care Week". I've commented on this in that previous blog, so won't rehash this.

As we go on, I found out that almost every day of the month has some special designation attached to it. Everything from "Name Your Car Day" on the 2nd, to "Bald and Free Day" on the 7th, to "Wear Something Gaudy Day" and "Babbling Day". There is also "National Nut Day", "National Mincemeat Day" and "Increase Your Psychic Powers Day", but I bet you saw that one coming. And how could I forget "Virus Appreciation Day"?

I am amazed by the number of inconsequential things people find to celebrate! How do you celebrate "Virus Appreciation Day" or "Sarcastic Month"? It's hard enough for me to remember to buy and mail birthday cards for family members in a timely manner, how in the world could I have daily celebrations for all of these other things that are recognized and set aside? Maybe I should have taken advantage of "Get Organized Week" and organized myself so I could find more ways to celebrate the inanities of life. As I think about all these things I find that I do have to simply laugh - or I'll start crying with the thought of having more to "celebrate" than is possibly human!

In the midst of all this thinking there is a still small voice in my head that whispers - "Be still" and reminds me to stay focused on what I truly have to be grateful for and to celebrate. I choose to celebrate the many gifts God has given me. I have the ability to hear my children's voices and my husbands snores; the gift of touching my cats soft warm fur or holding a pen to write a letter; and the ability to see the faces of my friends and loved ones. I celebrate the comfy blanket wrapped around my legs as I sit on my couch in my comfortable livingroom under a solid roof with a cup of hot tea by my side and breakfast waiting for me on the kitchen counter. Today I celebrate all that God has given me and all He has taken away and I pray that I can do the same tomorrow and the day after and the day after that.

There is no need for me to do more, to add more, to this day than what is already present.

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." ~ Genesis 2:2-3