This is Pastor Tim’s article which appeared in the Evening Leader on Tuesday, July 26, 2022
If you are anything like me, you have been feeling a bit snowed under lately. I know, snowed under is not a good choice of words for August, but you know what I mean. There is so much divide. I was thinking earlier today, what can we do to try and feel better about the world? That is when I had an epiphany.
What we do to feel better is we celebrate. There are plenty of reasons out there to celebrate, but if you don’t have one, invent one. If your birthday isn’t coming up, then celebrate your half or ¾ birthday. I know this isn’t graduation season, but why not hold a celebration of successful completion of mowing the yard? Don’t have a wedding in your near future? Then come celebrate mine with me! More on that in a moment.
I worry that we think if we celebrate too often, then the party will lose its appeal. That is certainly a risk, but the risk on the other end is to forget how to celebrate at all. Once we lose the ability to celebrate, the desire to celebrate quickly goes away as well.
This past weekend was my nephew’s birthday party. My sister had a party for him at Big Hero Day in Lima. It is a place with a lot of bouncy houses and other things to jump on. Basically, a place where men my age have no business being. I bounced and bounced, and fell off a few things, but we had a blast. I was proud of myself for keeping up with Jake. I think I wore him out, which was a gift I gave to my sister. We ended up with a few rug burns, a lot of great stories, and a recognition that I refuse to act my age on principal.
The point is, it was fun. We all had a blast, kids and adults alike. While I was trying not to land on my head during these challenges, I wasn’t even thinking about the challenges I face in my real life. I wasn’t worried about making my house payment, the recession, or the good people at Wayne Street. I was there having a good time with one of my favorite people on planet earth, my nephew, Jake.
Nothing was solved, nothing was fixed, and nothing really changed except my attitude. I got to blow off some steam and laugh at how uncoordinated I am. I got to impress Jake too, which was a plus. And by impress, I mean convince I am insane.
So what about you? Do you have a reason to celebrate? If not, then I would like to invite you to join my celebration. This Friday afternoon, I am getting married. Susan and I have been a couple for 4 years and we are getting married on August 5 in my hometown. We are then going to have lunch with our families. After that, we intend to come back to St Marys and be part of First Friday. We will have to leave around 7:00 because we are going to Columbus, Indiana for a few days and it is a 3-hour drive. We don’t want any gifts; just come have a cookie with us and you can fist bump me and give your condolences to Susan. I am not yet sure where we will be situated along Spring Street, but we will be down there somewhere, and we would love the chance to greet you.
At the end of the day, celebration is a choice and in the midst of the challenges of the world in which we live, I want you to choose celebration more often than you choose not to. I admit, cake and ice cream is a wonderful part of celebrating, but it is more than that. You can consume empty carbohydrates while not celebrating anything. Celebration is a mindset, and it is my calling to help you embrace celebration during the life that God gave you if for no other reason than the fact that God has blessed you with both this life and the next one. I don’t want the world to take that opportunity away from you.
So this Friday, come by and have a cookie with Susan and me. We would love the chance to see you and have you join our celebration!